Jalon Daniels' health is key to Kansas being a Big 12 contender says Greg McElroy

Kansas has grown into a competitive place over three seasons under Lance Leipold. Now, to reach that next step of contending for their first Big 12 Championship, one aspect is more crucial than any according to Greg McElroy.

McElroy broke down several conference title skids during a recent episode of ‘Always College Football’. For the Jayhawks, he noted how they have been unable to win one since the late 1960s as part of the last iteration of their current conference.

“They haven’t won a conference championship since 1968. That was back in the Big 8 era,” McElroy recalled.

Still, 2024 could be the year that a Big 12 title potentially comes back to Lawrence.

For starters, the Big 12 seems as winnable as ever considering how many teams are in the running, which only helps a program like Kansas. From there, McElroy thinks the Jayhawks have plenty of pieces on both sides of the ball to keep their trajectory from zero to nine wins in this decade.

That collection is led by QB Jalon Daniels, the redshirt junior quarterback who has appeared and started on and off over his four collegiate seasons. However, he is also the vital piece for McElroy as their possible title hopes hinge solely on his health.

“The Kansas Jayhawks – they have a great quarterback, they have really good speed on the perimeter, they have an elite running back, and they have a fairly disruptive defense,” McElroy said.

“We’ve already talked about the Big 12. It’s wide open, man. There’s five or six teams at the top that I think could absolutely win the league. I would include Kansas in that conversation exclusively because Jalon Daniels is now back at quarterback,” said McElroy. “If he can stay healthy? They’re 8-2 when he has started games in the last couple years. He’s the real deal but being available is of the utmost importance. If he is, Kansas becomes an immediate problem for every single person on their schedule.”

Daniels has appeared in 23 games, with several of those being starts, over his career with the Jayhawks. Even so, none of his four years have featured more than seven outings. That includes last fall where he appeared in just three due to a back injury.

Can Kansas get themselves into contention for the Big 12 Championship? Their trend under Leipold suggests that they could, especially in a conference that’s now there for someone’s taking.

It’s just a matter of how many games that Daniels plays in this season for McElroy.