Lance Leipold on Kansas' health in camp: 'I'm pleased'

They say availability is the best ability in football, and even through the first half of fall camp across the country, several programs have already received concerning or devastating injury news ahead of the 2024 college football season. The Kansas Jayhawks have been thankful enough to avoid much of that.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold was recently asked about the health of his squad heading into their home stretch of fall camp. Making sure to be careful not to put any bad omens on his team in the process.

“When you talk about injuries, you can kind of jinx yourself sometimes, but all in all I’ve been pleased,” Leipold said. “But I always tell you I’m not superstitious, so I need to make sure I answer that right.

“For this part of camp, and obviously we’re out there today and at least early onset, I think we came out of it pretty well again. Out of the normal stuff that you kind of get, and guys get held here and there, we’re in a pretty good spot.”

In fall camp, coaches are always tasked with balancing keeping their players healthy and preparing their bodies for the contact that comes with playing an entire college football season. A season that will now look much longer for the nation’s top teams who play deep into the 12-team College Football Playoff and participate in a conference title game.

A balance that Leipold has clearly achieved with just one week of fall camp remaining for the Jayhawks in Lawrence.

“This was our second long scrimmage, but we’ve had a couple other live periods in practice,” Leipold said. “So for as much live as we’ve gone, I think it’s pretty good.”

The health of the quarterback is typically never a concern during fall camp as one of the few positions that does not have to worry about contact. But heading into the upcoming season, there’s no question that all eyes will be on the health of Kansas’ signal caller Jalon Daniels.

Daniels entered the 2023 season as the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, but unfortunately only appeared in three games last season for the Jayhawks due to a back injury that kept him out for the majority of the season. Now returning with star running back Devin Neal and eight of the team’s top nine pass catchers from last season.

And if Daniels can stay healthy, there’s no question that the Jayhawks could compete for the Big 12 title this season and a spot in he College Football Playoff as they enter the season ranked No. 24 in the AP Preseason Poll.