Is Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels fixed? Jayhawks’ star running back thinks so

Despite an up-and-down season for Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, one thing remains constant:

He clearly — and demonstrably — cares.

He cares about his play. He cares about winning. And most of all, the senior cares about turning KU’s season around.

Sometimes, he may care a little too much.

“I had to actually tell him, ‘Maybe you need to stop watching so much film,’” running back Devin Neal said. “He was spending 14 hours a day on film — a ridiculous amount.”

Perhaps Daniels listened to that advice.

In KU’s blowout 42-14 win over Houston, Daniels appeared to stop overthinking and just played football.

The result? His best game all season — and play reminiscent of his 2022 and 2023 performances.

Daniels finished 16-of-21 passing for 247 yards with three passing touchdowns. He also ran for a score, with 58 yards on seven carries.

The stat line didn’t do him justice: Daniels was sensational. He had multiple throws that only quarterbacks who play on Sundays make.

The most impressive play came early in the first half.

Daniels scrambled to his left while evading multiple Houston defenders. He launched a cross-body dart to wide receiver Trevor Wilson for 29 yards right along the sideline. KU scored on the next play, a 3-yard passing touchdown to Jared Casey.

The passing offense was a major strength for the Jayhawks (2-5, 1-3 Big 12). Coach Lance Leipold said he felt the Jayhawks found more “rhythm and ... things we can be successful in.”

“Jalon did a great job, which he has all year, of checking the ball down to Devin when something is not there,” Leipold said. “The ball is being spread out a lot more comfortably. … Some of that timing just in camp and things are starting to pay off for us.”

Here’s the bigger takeaway.

For Daniels, Saturday marked two straight quality performances. He had another good showing two weeks back against Arizona State, and like in this game, he didn’t turn the ball over.

Turnovers have been an issue for Daniels — he had 10 turnovers (eight interceptions) in KU’s first five games.

Daniels attributed his improvement to being “confident in everything we are doing.” He added that KU’s bye week allowed the Jayhawks to refocus on their goal of turning the season around.

Daniels certainly hasn’t lost faith in himself or his teammates. Just ask star cornerback Cobee Bryant, who had three interceptions against Houston.

“He locked in more now,” Bryant said. “He’d seen a lot of people against us and him. Y’all don’t know Jalon. He’s that dude. … We actually had a conversation about that in the locker room, about locking in more.”

Bryant later continued: “JD has been pushing himself hard at practice, pushing the team, telling us it’s not over. Jalon has been a leader to the team.”

Up next, Kansas football prepares to play rival K-State in Manhattan. KU will need this version of Daniels — the one from Saturday — to show up if the Jayhawks hope to break their 15-year losing streak.

Neal, for his part, believes Daniels is back to his old self.

“Obviously, JD is the familiar JD that we saw in the past,” Neal said. “It was really cool to see, and I was super happy for him. ...

“Especially with all the negativity we have all seen. At the end of the day, we don’t pay attention, but it can affect him. JD just kind of blocks that out and does what he does.”