The Kansas Jayhawks were without their star quarterback against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns last week. So is Jalon Daniels playing this weekend? It’s unclear, but the latest injury news is concerning. Let’s look at the most recent Jalon Daniels injury updates as we assess whether he will be available on Saturday against UCF in Week 6.
Jalon Daniels Injury Update: Is Kansas’ Quarterback Playing Saturday?
Jalon Daniels Injury Update
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has been struggling with a back issue all season. He missed the team’s season-opening game against FCS Missouri State early in September before making his debut against Illinois. Daniels had led Kansas to three-straight wins before missing last Saturday’s contest against Texas. He apparently aggravated the injury during pregame walkthroughs.
Head coach Lance Leipold sounded concerned about his starting quarterback on Monday. “It’s a day-to-day situation right now,” Leipold told reporters after Daniels missed Monday’s practice. “He’s still working with the trainers and doctors,” Leipold added. Despite Leipold’s confidence in the preseason that Daniels would be back at full strength for the regular season, the star quarterback’s status is in question for Week 6.
Is Jalon Daniels Playing for Kansas Against UCF?
So is Jalon Daniels playing against UCF this week? We don’t know for sure yet, but we may get some clarity as this week of practice progresses. Daniels’ inability to practice with the team on Monday was a bad sign, and if he can’t return to the field soon, his status for this Saturday is in serious question. It seems that Leipold may have had some misplaced confidence in his staff’s initial assessment of Daniels’ injury.
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The silver lining is that Leipold is currently not considering shutting Daniels down for the year. When asked if he was thinking about that option on Monday, he told reporters “[t]hat’s never been brought up.” Daniels owns a passing efficiency grade of 173 through three appearances, which is on track to beat the 162 he recorded last year.
If Daniels remains out, the Jayhawks have an experienced backup quarterback, Jason Bean, who is good enough to take the reins. Bean started down the stretch for the Jayhawks last year and recorded a passing efficiency grade of 171.1 through 12 appearances and 136 pass attempts. He owns a 154.1 through four appearances and 49 attempts this season.
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