Jalon Daniels describes process of deciding to return to Kansas for another season

Quarterback Jalon Daniels has seen it all at Kansas, ranging from a 0-9 season in 2020 to a 9-4 season in 2023. He’ll return to Lawrence this season for his sixth and final season of college football.

Daniels has seen game action in all five of his seasons. He’s completed 61.3% of his passes for 6,751 yards, 45 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,041 yards on 303 attempts with 19 touchdowns.

The Lawndale, CA native represented the Jayhawks at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, TX this week. He described the process of deciding to return to Kansas for one more season.

“I started conversations with my family,” Daniels said. “I made sure that I want to be able to come back another year instead of taking my dreams and aspirations to the next level. It was more so just about being able to make sure that I wanted to come back for another year of college. Being able to come back out here and finish what I started means a lot to me.”

Daniels’ best career season came in 2022, when he passed for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. This included a herculean effort in Kansas‘ Liberty Bowl matchup against Arkansas, in which he passed for 544 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in a 55-53 3OT loss.

Daniels was ranked as ninth best QB in Big 12 conference

“Nah, really just me and my dad and my stepdad just made sure we were able to stay in communication with everyone,” he responded when asked about the possibility of entering the Transfer Portal. It appeared that it would either be the NFL or Kansas for Daniels, and he landed on the latter.

The Sporting News tabbed Daniels as the No. 9 ranked quarterback in the conference in their Big 12 QB rankings for 2025.

“Daniels is back for a sixth season under coach Lance Leipold, and the last three seasons have been a mixed bag,” they said. “Daniels had a breakout season in 2022, dealt with injuries in 2023 and struggled with inconsistency last season. He’s 14-19 as a starter, but the talent is there. He had 2,454 passing yards, 14 TDs and 12 interceptions with 439 rushing yards and six TDs in 2024 as Kansas slipped to 5-7. He’s the most experienced quarterback in the conference, and Kansas did beat Iowa State, BYU and Colorado last November. Will Daniels mesh with Jim Zebrowski, who was promoted to offensive coordinator?”

Kansas opens the 2025 season on August 23 against Fresno State.