Kansas QB Jalon Daniels listed as day-to-day after not practicing on Monday
Right before kickoff against Texas, news broke of Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels dealing with a back injury. Despite practicing all week and seemingly being fine, Daniels was not able to play in Austin. Lance Leipold had to run Jason Bean out there instead.
The hope was Daniels would be back heading into Saturday’s game vs. UCF. However, Daniels did not practice on Monday according to Leipold. He is officially listed as “day-to-day” and things will continue to play out over the course of the week.
“I view it as a day-to-day situation right now according to our training staff and we’ll see where it goes,” Leipold said. “I know he’s working at it and we’ll see where it takes us.”
Injuries have been a problem for Daniels throughout his time at Kansas. Last season, he was only able to play in nine games and the Jayhawks were 5-4 in them. Daniels has become such a key part of what the Jayhawks want to do on offense. Not just as a player but also as a leader of his teammates through tougher times.
This season, Daniels has thrown for 705 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception while completing 74.7% of his throws. Thus far, the ground game has not been as lethal, only having 74 yards on 24 touchdowns. Daniels has not gotten into the end zone via the run either.
Kansas has gone more than one game without Daniels. The Texas loss was the second after the quarterback failed to play in the season opener. Missouri State was the opponent, with KU coming out with a rather comfortable win.
The hope will be Daniels can get through the week without any setbacks and get back onto the field. Kansas currently sits with a 4-1 record, just a tick below their start from a season ago. Still, Leipold is making progress in Lawrence and is just two wins away from gaining bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007 and 2008.
If not, Bean will once again step into the starting role. He threw for 136 yards on 9 of 21 passing, having a touchdown mixed in there too. Bean was not far off from being the leading rusher either, having 42 yards on just seven carries.
There is plenty of experience from Bean and Leipold trusts him if Daniels is not able to go. But Kansas will be hoping to get their star player back onto the field against UCF.