Kansas senior quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) makes his way from the field with Kansas head coach Lance Leipold following the Jayhawks’ 31-21 loss to the Utes on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Photo by Nick Krug
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels came to Lawrence off of a 3-9 season for KU, a year in which the Jayhawks went 1-8 in conference play. His first year, he played in seven games during a 0-9 campaign that ended with the coach who recruited him to KU being fired months afterward.
On Friday, Daniels concluded his six-year career with the Jayhawks, a tenure that saw the team reach back-to-back bowl games, start the 2024 season ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll — which was the highest preseason ranking for Kansas since 2008 — and win 27 of 49 career games Daniels started. He leaves Kansas with a renovated stadium and his name second in the program’s history in passing touchdowns and passing yards.
His career at Kansas, however, came to an unceremonious end. Since 2024, in his two full seasons as a starter, Kansas has completed back-to-back 5-7 seasons and missed bowl games each year, while Daniels ended his career with a three-interception loss for only the second time.
Daniels went 10-for-27 with 187 yards passing and a touchdown against Utah on Friday, his final game with the Jayhawks. He added 34 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but he threw three interceptions. His final play with Kansas was a fourth-down sack that gave the Utes the ability to take a knee and end the game. Overall, it was a disappointing conclusion for one of the school’s best passers.
“I’ll say this holistically — it wasn’t Jalon Daniels’s best game, which is very unfortunate for his last game as a Jayhawk,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “I don’t think he ever fully felt in rhythm. There were times he had a look about him where he knew he wasn’t in great rhythm.”
Leipold said that Daniels misread certain run-pass option reads and didn’t see defenders at other points. On his second interception, Daniels attempted to throw the ball out of the end zone but was picked off.
“I can’t really put any other way to feel about it out there other than heartbroken,” Daniels said. “… I don’t care what (the stats) look like as long as the stat that counts is the win. When my stats are the reason I feel we’re losing, (it) leaves me heartbroken, especially when that’s the game we need to be bowl eligible.”
Members of the team were hurting for Daniels, having been a part of a program turnaround over the last six years. Daniels said there were a lot of people in the locker room who helped him grow from the 17-year-old freshman to the 23-year-old quarterback he is today. Despite how it ended, the team appreciated what Daniels gave the team on the field.
“The throws, the runs, the reads he’d make were incredible,” Hishaw said. “I don’t really see too many people do things Jalon Daniels has done.”
After a 2022 season in which Daniels led the Jayhawks to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008, Daniels played only three games of the Jayhawks’ nine-win season in 2023. At various points in his six-year career, Daniels battled through injuries and hardships, but always tried to keep his chin up. Hishaw said he’s never seen Daniels hang his head in those six years.
“I’ve been through a lot of things here at the University of Kansas as far as injuries,” Daniels said. “With these guys, they’ve never seen me put my head down, no matter what. I’ve been hurt on the sidelines still cheering guys on. I try to be the best teammate I can be. I’m going to bring that energy every single day… You can’t take this game for granted.”
Daniels said that he and redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall spoke after the game, and that Marshall thanked Daniels for what he learned as a backup to Daniels. Moments like that show what Daniels meant to this team and what he will be in part remembered for as a Jayhawk.
“It’s things like that that mean so much to me,” Daniels said. “I was able to see the emotion on a lot of my teammates’ faces, and it’s things like that that continue to make me feel that I need to continue to keep getting better as an athlete, but also as a man and try to be me. Be that energetic person every day, have that smile around the guys. What I’ve heard today from my teammates is that stuff is infectious.”
For fans, Daniels will be remembered for the plays, the wins and losses and the change in expectations. But for his teammates, Daniels will be remembered for the leader he was. Hishaw said Daniels has a spark to him, something that he hopes Daniels never loses.
“I’m pretty sure he won’t,” Hishaw said.