Jalon Daniels injury status: Kansas quarterback would be 'perfectly fine' playing right now

Jalon Daniels struggled with injuries during the 2024 season. Kansas spent the majority of the year without him, shutting him down at one point. Head coach Lance Leipold knew the quarterback needed to play things safe and felt comfortable enough rocking with Jason Bean.

So when Kansas arrived in Las Vegas for Big 12 Media Days, injuries were a big talking about. Daniels addressed the situation, saying he is “perfectly fine” at the moment. If Kansas were to begin their 2024 season on Saturday, the quarterback believes he would be able to play.

But at the same time, taking things slowly is where he currently stands. Getting better for the future is where his ultimate goal lands.

“Great. You know, if we had a game tomorrow, I’d be perfectly fine,” Daniels said Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days. “You know, it’s definitely been a journey. You know, I try not to harp on the past too much, but you know, within the past, you have to be able to, like I said, learn from stuff, to be able to find out how to get better. So, you know, I’m just looking forward to the future, looking forward to the day-to-day process.”

Daniels played in a trio of games last season, with his final occurring on Sept. 23 against BYU. He still put up decent numbers, throwing for 705 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception. Kansas wound up victorious in all three as well.

Jalon Daniels excited for new Kansas OC Jeff Grimes

Jalon Daniels is eager to show off what Kansas has been working on under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. The Jayhawks hired Grimes from fellow Big 12 school Baylor to replace Andy Kotelnicki, who left this offseason for Penn State.

Speaking at Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday, Daniels had high praise for his new coach. The KU quarterback also alluded to a “twist” that Grimes has added to the offense since arriving in Lawrence.

“Coach Grimes is one of the best offensive coordinators I’ve had the chance to work with,” Daniels said. “To be able to see how he looks at the game, be able to see his perspective and the way he wants to run certain plays in certain situations.

“When we’re talking about being able to extend the plays, coach Grimes is gonna add a little bit of a twist into our offense. So I’m excited to be able to show the world exactly what we’re gonna be doing on the offensive side of the ball.”

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report