Lance Leipold believes Jalon Daniels could get a statue at Kansas

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold knows that he has a special player in senior quarterback Jalon Daniels. The California native led the team to a bowl game for the first time since 2008 last year and was named the Big 12 Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ahead of the 2023 season.

While he did miss the first game of the year with an injury, Daniels has helped the Jayhawks to their second-straight season with a 4-0 start. They had previously never won four games in a season since 2009.

He has spearheaded flipping the program around, and Leipold said on the On Second Thought podcast that he thinks Daniels might one day be standing tall among the university’s best.

“Jalon’s very happy here. He’s established himself. He has a chance to leave a mark as being one of our best ever to play here. I told him, there’s two statues outside our building: John Hadl and Gale Sayers,” Leipold said, before saying that Daniels could earn himself a statue if he stays with the program.

Despite his football career wrapping up more than 50 years ago at the point, Gale Sayers is still a pretty well-known name in the sporting world thanks to Brian’s Song. But before he was a five-time All-Pro for the Chicago Bears, Sayers was a star running back at Kansas.

Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet,” Sayers was a two-time All-American for the Jayhawks in 1963 and 1964. He led the team in rushing, receiving, kickoff returns, punt returns and touchdowns during those two seasons. Against Nebraska during the 1963 season, he became the first player in Division I football to rush for a 99-yard touchdown.

John Hadl is definitely less known than Sayers but he had himself a memorable football career, first in college with the Jayhawks and then for 16 years in the AFL and NFL.

A native of Lawrence, Kan., Hadl played three seasons for his hometown college from 1959-1961. He played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the Jayhawks. Hadl also was named to two All-American teams.

In the professional ranks, Hadl spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers. He then played for the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Houston Oilers. He was named to two NFL Pro Bowls, four AFL All-Star Games and one NFL All-Pro team.

Hadl was the second ever winner of the NFL Man of the Year Award. Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas won the award in 1970 before Hadl was honored with the award in 1971.

Hadl and Sayers are two of three Jayhawks to have their numbers retired along with Ray Evans. Evans, who attended Kansas in the 1940s, is the only Kansas player to earn All-American status in two sports: football and men’s basketball.