Key Takeaways
- Jalon Daniels is heading into his final college season, with no shortage of adversity along the way.
- The Kansas Jayhawks QB opened up to RG about his long collegiate career, what he wants to accomplish with KU, and more.
- “I feel like my life has been about bouncing back," Daniels said, who has dealt with numerous injuries.
Kansas QB Jalon Daniels is heading into his final college season (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Jalon Daniels is an “old soul”, if you will, when it comes to the college football world.
But it’s truly been a bit of both worlds for the Kansas quarterback, as he reflects on his beginnings as a young teenager at the NCAA level.
“It definitely feels kind of crazy (to have played for this long), because when I broke onto the scene, I was just 17 years old,” Daniels said to RG. “Now, I’m 22 years old and will be 23 years old by the end of the year. I have people who are maybe two years younger than me who are calling me “unc”, calling me “old” and stuff like that.”
Daniels doesn’t exactly view it that way, though he has been around to see a lot of monumental changes.
“And I’m just sitting here like, I’ve got more years of college (experience) on me than you do, but, bro, we’re basically the same age,” Daniels said. “Being able to be in college from 2020 to 2025 has definitely been an experience, because when I first got to college, NIL wasn’t a thing, and now we’re lightyears beyond the beginning of NIL. It’s definitely been a journey for me.”
For the Jayhawks "veteran” quarterback, nothing about his experience in college football can be remotely related to that of another NCAA signal-caller.
“My journey in life has always been different from others, and when you take all of that into account, it just makes you want to keep on going, keep wanting to be able to be great,” Daniels said.
Adversity is something he is no stranger to, suffering multiple injuries that have seen him swing back and forth from dark horse potential Heisman Trophy candidate to completely under-the-radar prospect many a time. The signal-caller has seen peaks, and he’s seen valleys.
“I feel like my life has always been about bouncing back, whether it is injury, whether it’s winning a state championship, not getting offers you didn’t expect, or even if it was decommitting from a school and going to another one.”
Regardless of all of that, there is no question Daniels has a firm handle on his offense, which will strongly prepare him for the NFL level.
“At the University of Kansas, we are all about shifts and motions and misdirections for the defense, so we have to do a great job offensively of being able to make sure everybody is aligned properly.”
And at the line of scrimmage, he has a high level of responsibility that comes with his extensive experience.
“Pre-snap, that’s a huge deal for me… post-snap, it’s trying make sure my pre-snap vision and picture I was trying to get comes to fruition,” he said. "When it does, it’s confirmation we have done what we’re supposed to be doing.”
So, what could be considered Daniels’ “X-Factor” as a quarterback?
“I think my most positive and unique attributes come from my ability to make something out of nothing. The coaching staff at Kansas does a great job of putting things together to emphasize that you need to be the eraser on the field,” Daniels explained. “If there is a mistake on the field that’s happening, you need to be able to be the guy who can erase that and replace it with something positive.”
Intangibly, he strives to be the best teammate he can be.
“I feel like my teammates would describe me as someone who is energetic, charismatic and someone who goes about his business every single day, but who also likes to have fun while doing it.”
That is well-reflected by what he says he strives for the most going into the 2025 season.
“My biggest personal goal isn’t necessarily about me, but to make sure the University of Kansas is ready for the years beyond when I am there. We have a lot of new guys, and also a lot of young guys who, it’ll be their first year playing. And then you have guys, who, next year will be their first year playing. So, it’s about leaving this place better than I found it for me.”
Daniels will have the chance to do just that as he and the Jayhawks open the season against the Fresno State Bulldogs on Aug. 23.
