KU Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels: ‘If we had a game tomorrow, I’d be perfectly fine’

Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels, who battled a back injury for much of last season, is confident and ready to play football after a long hiatus.

Even if that game were to be played sooner than scheduled.

“I’m feeling great,” Daniels said at Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “You know, if we had a game tomorrow, I’d be perfectly fine.”

Daniels played in three games last season before a back injury sidelined him for the rest of the year.

The quarterback was limited during spring football practice but played about three snaps during KU’s spring game. He threw an impressive deep ball to wide receiver Quentin Skinner, who lunged forward for a circus catch.

KU coach Lance Leipold remains steadfast that Daniels will be ready for the Jayhawks’ season opener against Lindenwood on Aug. 29.

“It’s our goal and expectation that Jalon will play every snap he’s able to play, dictated by score more than (by) health,” Leipold said.

“I feel very good about our quarterback room as a whole, but I continue to look at — I’m excited to see what Jalon will do this season for us. He’s doing everything that doctors, trainers, strength coaches are having him do, and I can’t wait to get to August.”

Questions about Daniels’ health were frequent during Big 12 Media Days, but Leipold doubled down on Daniels’ recovery and overall health.

“Again, Jalon’s doing everything,” Leipold said before motioning to another area of the stadium. “Shoot, all the stuff they do behind over here, I think we’ve got to have him stretch or something before they do all that stuff they video back there ...

“I go, ‘If he can make it through everything they’re doing to video for pre-game stuff, I think he’s going to be fine.’

“Like I said, he’s doing everything. We’ve gotten a lot of opinions, all those things. He’s doing the throws that he’s supposed to be making, all those things.”

Daniels said his focus has been on preventing further back injuries. Toward that end, he’s been strengthening his core. He said he does core work five to six days each week.

Daniels hopes that core work will help him stay healthy, as he’s excited about showcasing KU’s retooled offense under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes.

Daniels called Grimes “one the best offensive coordinators I’ve been able to work with.”

And yes, fans can expect some changes for KU’s high-powered offense next season.

“Coach Grimes is going to add a little bit of a twist to our offense,” Daniels said. “With Kansas football, we are known for having gadget plays, a lot of shifts in motion going in — trust me, nothing of that nature is going to change.

“Without giving too much, we are going to add a few little sprinkles of how we are going to line up formationally and having a lot of our playmakers make plays in different spots, rather than just their main one.”