Behind Jalon Daniels’ new demeanor as Kansas QB — and his ‘unfinished business’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas QB Jalon Daniels returns for a sixth year with renewed focus and intent.
- Daniels spent the offseason refining mechanics, recruiting talent and rehabbing.
- With NFL aspirations, Daniels aims to solidify legacy and lead KU’s offense in 2025.
Jalon Daniels stared into the sea of cameras.
The sixth-year Kansas quarterback had a multitude of reporters entrenched around him, holding either black and gray recorders or iPhones displaying the latest version of a recording app. Further back, TV cameras captured Daniels from every angle.
Just like most fall Saturdays in Lawrence, Daniels was the center of attention.
Instead of dodging defenders and watching for the incoming pass rush, Daniels sat upright in his chair and answered what seemed like an endless wave of rapid-fire questions.
While doing so, Daniels’ eyes narrowed. He looked up as he listened intently to each question, sometimes pausing to think before carefully choosing his words in response.
The usually cheery Daniels didn’t flash his toothy grin once, but rather pursed his lips the entire time outside of when he was speaking.
That’s the new norm for Daniels.
The usually exuberant quarterback has a different aura around his day-to-day approach, according to those who know him best.
“He’s always going to have that JD million-dollar smile, but he’s focused,” Sam Fisher, Daniels’ personal QB coach, told The Star. “He knows where he wants to go. He knows his vision and his dream — it’s a big year.”
The demeanor shift in Daniels has not gone unnoticed by fellow quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
“I feel like JD is always very locked in, and I feel like now he’s just attacking the day more, which is always good,” Marshall said. “... I feel like he’s ready for the season.”
A big year for Jalon Daniels — and KU football
This season is an important one for Daniels. He not only has NFL aspirations, but it’s also his chance to cement his legacy with the Jayhawks.
Then there’s the opportunity for redemption after an up-and-down 2024. He struggled for the first half of the year, throwing seven interceptions in KU’s first five games.
Daniels found his rhythm in the latter half of the season and played his best football. He finished with 2,174 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 410 yards and six TDs.
Fisher offered insight into what exactly happened last season as he kept up with Daniels’ inconsistent campaign.
“I think he calmed down mentally,” Fisher said. “Jalon puts a ton of expectations on himself— always has — and I think that’s a really beneficial thing for him and obviously his desire to win games. Sometimes we all do this as human beings; we try to force things a little too much.”
Fisher also noticed Daniels pressing, using his strong arm to try to “fit windows that maybe were those exciting, big throws that you will see from him.”
“I think he wants to try to make those splashes as often as he can,” Fisher continued. “I think he just kind of took a step back and was like, ‘I’m going to operate this offense — it doesn’t need to be a home run every time.’”
Naturally, after a frustrating season, Daniels’ return to KU football was not guaranteed. A former Jayhawks player told The Star that Daniels garnered interest from teams in the Big Ten and ACC.
Still, Daniels announced his return in December. Getting the sixth-year QB back for a final season was huge for KU, as the Jayhawks didn’t have many returners from last season, with over 30 players (including 15 starters) graduating.
Daniels played a significant role in helping recruit several players to Lawrence, as KU brought in more than 20 transfers.
One person who wasn’t surprised Daniels returned? Fisher.
“I do believe he has a legacy being there for six years — there’s no other quarterback that I’ve trained who has been at one place for six years that has put so much blood and sweat into one program,” he said. “I believe he could have gone and gotten drafted last year. He wants one more year. I believe he has some unfinished business.”
Jalon Daniels the NFL QB?
There’s more on the line than just NFL Draft dreams for Daniels. It’s an opportunity to end his college career on his terms. The face of KU’s turnaround during the 2022 season, the recent years haven’t exactly gone as expected.
He played in only three games during the 2023 season due to a back injury, so he earned an extra season of eligibility through a medical redshirt. He spent much of that offseason recovering from injury as KU looked to build upon a 9-3 season led by backup QB Jason Bean.
The hype surrounding KU football was immense last season, but neither Daniels nor Kansas lived up to it.
A large part of that was due to the struggles KU also experienced with a brand-new offensive coordinator, Jeff Grimes, who departed for Wisconsin this offseason. In his place, KU promoted quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski. The pair — Zebrowski and Daniels — will have worked together for five years. They have a close relationship.
“There’s a lot of input he asks me about,” Daniels said. “He does a great job of asking me how I feel about certain plays. He does a great job of asking if I was in a situation, what I would want to run. I think that just goes with the comfort level that me and him have with each other.”
After program staples such as wide receivers Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Lawrence Arnold departed, KU reloaded the room with transfers. Daniels spent a few days this summer in his home state of California practicing with transfers Cam Pickett (Ball State), Emmanuel Henderson (Alabama) and Levi Wentz (Albany), plus freshman Jaden Nickens.
KU returnees Doug Emilien and Keaton Kubecka were also present.
Daniels said there’s no “selfishness” in the room, and there’s another reason to be encouraged: Alabama transfer Henderson could be one of the best WRs Daniels has ever had if he lives up to the hype.
A productive offseason — and training camp
Kansas coach Lance Leipold likes what he’s seen from Daniels, calling him one of the standouts in training camp. Many people around the program have raved about Daniels’ play during the preseason.
All the extra work he’s done this summer seems to have paid off. Currently, NFL Draft experts project him as a late-round pick, but his final season at KU and development along the way could determine where that finishes.
His primary focus, for now, has been on his working release, according to Daniels’ QB coach.
“It’s just staying in rhythm — his arm is like a whip, it’s so elastic,” Fisher said. “He’s got so much action on his arm. Because that’s such a God-given gift, let’s see if we can make that more compact and know that’s never going to leave your game. You’re always going to have that action.
“… I want to try to get into that Aaron Rodgers mode where it’s super whippy, but it’s compact.”
As for Fisher’s advice to Daniels before his final season of college ball? “I always try to encourage him the same way: ‘Be you and don’t try to make things happen,’” Fisher said. “’You are a natural playmaker. Stay within the game and operate.’”
Daniels will get his first opportunity to follow that advice on Saturday when Kansas plays Fresno State in the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The veteran QB has plenty of hopes and aspirations for this season, but right now, he’s just trying to live in the moment.
“I’m enjoying everything, enjoying every single day for what it is, because I don’t have another year of eligibility where I can think about next year,” Daniels said. “So I’m just taking every single day at a time. Just making sure I am able to take everything in every single day.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2025 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Behind Jalon Daniels’ new demeanor as Kansas QB — and his ‘unfinished business’."
