Kansas football QB Jason Bean announces return to college. What it means for Jayhawks...
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean isn’t ready to leave Lawrence just yet.
Bean announced on Instagram Friday that he will be returning for his super-senior season with the Jayhawks. Bean has been with the program since 2021, starting games in both seasons under coach Lance Leipold.
Bean’s caption read: “Rock with me or don’t. More work to do.” The video sharing his announcement ended with the words, in all-caps: “I’M BACK.”
It’s been an eventful two years in Lawrence for Bean, the backup to start 2022 after earning the starting job in 2021.
Most recently, Bean’s pass sailed high on a two-point attempt in triple overtime of the Liberty Bowl, ending KU’s 2022 season. Arkansas held on to defeat Kansas (6-7, 3-6 Big 12) 55-53 in the thriller at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
“Jason feels terrible,” Leipold said postgame, noting: “There’s plenty of plays we could have performed better on that maybe didn’t even put us to that point.”
Ultimately, Bean played a pivotal role in Kansas’ best season since 2008. The Jayhawks might not have reached a bowl game without Bean’s play.
When starting quarterback Jalon Daniels suffered a shoulder injury in Kansas’ 38-31 loss to TCU, Bean stepped up and performed well. He threw for four touchdowns to one interception with 262 passing yards in that game.
Bean started the next four contests, throwing for 10 touchdowns to three interceptions with 970 passing yards in that time. He also rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns in those four starts. He led the Jayhawks’ to a 37-16 victory over Oklahoma State, which clinched bowl eligibility for Kansas.
As a starter, Bean went 1-3 in 2022. Without Bean, 2022 true-freshman passer Ethan Vasko would’ve been next up on the depth chart.
Before the 2021 season, Bean transferred to Kansas from North Texas, where he redshirted one season and played in two others. In 2021, Bean started the first nine games (1-8 record) before suffering an injury in KU’s 35-10 loss to Kansas State. He finished the year with six passing touchdowns, six interceptions and 1,252 passing yards while appearing in 11 games.
Daniels, likely to be the starter again in 2023, stepped in and ultimately won the job after his stellar play over the last three games of the 2021 season, which included the Jayhawks’ win at Texas. But Bean hung with the program, settling in as the primary backup to Daniels.
Bean’s return — presumably in that role once again — looked unlikely a month ago.
“Jason went through Senior Day and is trending toward moving on,” Leipold said in December. ”I’d love to have Jason back, but he’s heavy in that direction now.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Kansas football QB Jason Bean announces return to college. What it means for Jayhawks...."
