Surprising player named Big 12 preseason Offensive Player of the Year

The Big 12 is going to look different in 2023, and conference expansion might not be the only reason why.

Kansas, which has long been the Big 12's doormat, has a chance to make some noise this season thanks to QB Jalon Daniels. On Wednesday, he was named the conference's preseason Offensive Player of the Year by Big 12 media members.

The Jayhawks aren't sneaking up on anybody this season after the team's stunning turnaround a year ago. To understand how dire things have been for the Kansas football program, the Jayhawks' 6-7 record in 2022 constituted a major leap forward. From 2009-2021, Kansas went 28-125 (.183), nearly averaging a 2-10 record each season during that span.

Kansas' last winning season was in 2008 when it finished 8-5. Head coach Lance Leipold nearly got the team over the hump last season, but the Jayhawks fell to Arkansas in a Liberty Bowl thriller. Kansas stormed back from a 38-13 third-quarter deficit before losing 55-53 in triple-overtime.

Daniels injured his shoulder against TCU on Oct. 8 and missed the next four games. He returned on Nov. 19, and after a pair of ho-hum games against Texas and Kansas State, he left a strong final impression in the Liberty Bowl, going 37-of-55 for 544 yards with six total touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Jayhawks began the season 5-0, and Daniels was a big reason why the offense averaged 41.6 points per game during that span. Kansas averaged 32.2 points through the next five games, and for a defense that ranked 124th in scoring last year, that drop-off on offense was catastrophic.

If the team wants to build on its promising start to last season, it needs Daniels to be at his best, which he often was in 2022. He finished the season 152-of-230 (66.1 percent) for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions through the air while also rushing for 425 yards and seven touchdowns.

Yet despite how important Daniels is to Kansas, unless the Jayhawks make another leap this season, he'll have stiff competition for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers will probably have a say in how things unfold considering the Longhorns are the favorites to win the Big 12. If Oklahoma returns to relevancy, QB Dillon Gabriel will be a viable OPOY candidate. Another player to watch is Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough. ESPN singled Texas Tech out as a 2023 sleeper in its Big 12 preview, and should that projection pan out, Shough will likely play a key role.

As for Kansas? The Jayhawks are projected to win 4.1 games, putting them in a class with West Virginia as the Big 12's worst. 

For Daniels and Kansas, the season's peak may have come far too soon. By the time September rolls around, the Jayhawks could be in another valley.