Updated 1:32 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7:
His early years with the Jayhawks were marred by injuries; then, in his first full season as the starter, he took until halfway through the year to truly find his stride.
Now, quarterback Jalon Daniels, one of the faces of the Kansas football rebuild, is coming back for a sixth and final season in Lawrence.
He made the announcement on Friday night in a post on X with the caption, “Love Me Or Hate Me, I’m Finishing Where I Started.”
“Kansas has been my home, my family, and my foundation,” Daniels wrote in the post. “This journey has been nothing short of incredible, but we’re not done yet. The work continues, and the best is still ahead.
“I’m ready to lead the Kansas Jayhawks into the 2025 season and fully focused on becoming the best QB possible. I’m staying to finish what we’ve started, continue building, and to give back to the fans who’ve given us everything. Let’s make history, Jayhawks Nation!”
The move gives the KU staff an essential foundational piece around which to build as it looks to attract transfer-portal talent to Lawrence, now that many of Daniels’ longtime teammates such as running back Devin Neal and wide receivers Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm and Quentin Skinner have exhausted their eligibility.
Daniels struggled early in 2024, throwing eight interceptions in the first five games before tossing nine touchdowns to just two interceptions over the next six. He finished the year with 2,454 passing yards and 447 rushing yards, leading KU to three straight wins over ranked foes before the Jayhawks fell short in their final attempt at bowl eligibilty, a road game at Baylor.
Daniels saw his first significant action as a true freshman in 2020 but rose to national prominence after leading the Jayhawks’ upset victory over Texas in 2021 and their unbeaten start to the 2022 campaign. A shoulder injury midway through the 2022 season slowed his progress considerably, though he returned late in the year and put up record numbers in KU’s Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas. Then, recurring back tightness derailed his 2023 season to the point that he missed 10 of a possible 13 games.
There was some doubt as to whether Daniels would return for the 2025 campaign after he went through senior-day festivities prior to the game against Colorado on Nov. 23, but he stated that was simply because he was about to graduate and wanted to walk alongside many of his longtime teammates.
When Daniels returns to the field at a newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025, he’ll be doing it under the fourth offensive coordinator of his KU tenure, after Jeff Grimes’ reported departure for Wisconsin and the ensuing promotion of Daniels’ longtime position coach Jim Zebrowski.
Rising redshirt freshman Isaiah Marshall and redshirt sophomore Cole Ballard are expected to continue to back up Daniels, along with incoming freshman David McComb.
AP Photo/Rick Egan
