Greg McElroy raves about potential of Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has a lot of potential to improve upon a breakout 2022 season, according to ESPN’s Greg McElroy.

Daniels put the Jayhawks on the map last fall before an injury slowed down his hype train. But if he’s fully healthy in 2023, Kansas could be dangerous.

McElroy ranked Daniels the No. 2 quarterback in the Big 12 when he broke it all down on Always College Football.

“Those that pay close attention realize that Jalon Daniels in Kansas was a one-man wrecking crew,” McElroy said. “And you look at another guy, got sidelined, got banged up against TCU on October 8, but look at the first month of the season. Look at how good he was and how dynamic he was. Now, is he ultimately going to make a push for the Heisman trophy? I think Dillon Gabriel’s got a much better chance (out of quarterbacks in the big Ten).

“But still Jalon Daniels, if he can pick up where he left off ever he returned late had an unbelievable finish to the season against Arkansas, they ultimately came up short in that game, but my goodness. 

“I mean the fourth quarter, name a better fourth quarter performance by a quarterback and any bowl game this past season. Probably wasn’t one.” 

There’s a lot of respect on Daniels’ name at the moment. He was named to the 2023 preseason Big 12 All-Conference Team.

“Jalon Daniels is at number two,” McElroy said of his Big 12 quarterback rankings. “And he is a big reason why I’m kind of bullish on the Jayhawks this year, making some noise and being very dangerous. They’re in the Big 12, they’re not going to win the league, but they’re going to be a dangerous team to contend with.”

If Daniels plays up to his potential, perhaps Kansas could shock college football and win the Big 12 before the conference enters a new era in ‘24.

In nine games last season, Daniels threw for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns, four interceptions, a 66.1% completion percentage, 425 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Daniels was a three-star recruit out of Lawndale (Calif.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 188 overall prospect in the state, the No. 118 quarterback in the class and the No. 2,158 overall prospect in the class.