Kansas’ Lance Leipold provides update on quarterback Jalon Daniels’ injury recovery
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who missed 11 games due to a back injury last season, is making steady progress in his recovery, according to KU coach Lance Leipold.
On Thursday, Leipold shared an update on Daniels’ status.
“He’s doing well, doing well,” Leipold said. “He’s working out. He’s doing things. How much he’ll do this spring, we’ll still see. But he’s smiling, bouncing around, ready to rock and roll as best he can at the moment. And, again, we want to be smart with him and nothing’s told me — or anything’s been said from anyone — that we shouldn’t expect to get him ready for a fine season.”
KU plays its spring showcase — which caps the spring practice slate — on April 12 at Rock Chalk Park, but Leipold isn’t too concerned about that date as it pertains to his QB.
“I’m not as concerned about, at this stage of his career, about spring, as I am about August,” Leipold said.
KU’s spring practice will be pivotal for a slew of quarterbacks, including potential backup Cole Ballard and incoming freshman Isaiah Marshall. Ballard, KU’s third-string QB last season, saw action in Kansas’ losses vs. Texas Tech and K-State. Leipold said that Ballard has hit the weight room this offseason.
“He’s really changing his body,” Leipold said.
As for how important it is for KU’s QBs other than Daniels to get reps in spring?
“All three years, we’ve had to go to multiple quarterbacks,” Leipold said. “We got to keep guys healthy, but you better have one ready to go. So they’ll all get work.”
Leipold anticipates that KU’s Spring Showcase will be similar to last year’s, which was more like a practice than a scrimmage.
The reason?
“We have three wide receivers, two running backs, a quarterback — we have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football,” he said. “Playing in a full scrimmage at the end of spring probably is not — you get to a certain point, you want to keep your guys healthy.
“… I don’t know what a live scrimmage in April is going to really do for Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant.”
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Kansas’ Lance Leipold provides update on quarterback Jalon Daniels’ injury recovery."
