Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) throws the ball during the game between Fresno State and Kansas at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lance Leipold Makes Strong Statement on Kansas QB Jalon Daniels

Originally posted on Kansas Jayhawks on SI
By Joshua Schulman | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 7:59 AM ET

To open his sixth and final year of college ball, Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels was as effective as ever in KU's season-opening win against Fresno State in Week 0.

The redshirt senior threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns, adding 47 yards on the ground in one of his best all-around performances to date. Daniels was doing it all with his legs and making the right read on shorter checkdowns to allow his playmakers to do damage with the ball.

After an up-and-down 2024 campaign where he threw a career-high 12 interceptions, Daniels looked like his peak self again and gave Jayhawks fans plenty of hope.

Head coach Lance Leipold joined The Jim Rome Show earlier this week to reflect on the win, and much of the discussion centered around Daniels. Leipold highlighted how locked in his quarterback has been throughout the offseason and shared how impressed he has been with the results.

"He's in the best shape of his life. He's as focused as he's ever been," Leipold said. "During training camp, he was the first one in the building every day at almost 5 a.m., and it showed on Saturday, being 18-for-20 and being conference player of the week offensively."

"He's in the best shape of his life. He's as focused as he's ever been."@CoachLeipold on @KU_Football QB Jalon Daniels returning for a sixth season in Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/uJwclfVLDn
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 25, 2025

KU's coach even addressed the possibility of Daniels entering the Heisman Trophy race, an award he was in the conversation for in 2022 before a back injury derailed his season.

Leipold expressed support for his quarterback, saying he is pulling for him to remain in that discussion as the year unfolds.

"He showed those types of abilities in the 2022 and 2023 seasons in the first part of the year, and unfortunately, was slowed by injury," Leipold continued. "But I think he's as good as anyone in the league, and this league has a lot of quality quarterbacks."

"When he's at his best, he's pretty dynamic, he can run the ball, he's been making great decisions, and he's the catalyst of this team."

Beyond his play, Leipold acknowledged how rare it is to see a player like Daniels remain loyal to one program throughout his entire career. The quarterback committed to Kansas out of the 2020 recruiting class under Les Miles and stayed with the program when Leipold was hired in 2021.

Now entering his sixth and final season, Daniels will aim to lead the Jayhawks to their first Big 12 Championship appearance under his guidance.

That will certainly be a difficult goal, but given how talented KU looked in Week 0, it is not out of the realm of possibility.

This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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