KU expecting Jalon Daniels to be healthy, without restrictions in 2024
LAS VEGAS (KSNT) - Simply being healthy enough to take the field is not enough for KU quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Daniels, and his team, want him to be a quarterback without limitations due to injury. They don't plan on holding him back on game day. The KU coaching staff expect him to be able to run, scramble and make plays on the fly in his senior year.
"Absolutely," KU head coach Lance Leipold said when asked if he wants Daniels to be able to run as much as he did before his injuries. "There hasn't been anything said, 'Hey, he's going to be able to play but you got to reduce the quarterback run game.' Nobody has set any restrictions. Football is going to be football. Now, we're not going to be crazy. We're going to be smart with him as we go through it."
The KU head coach says for Daniels to be his best, he can't be limited.
"Here's the thing, his ability to create things is what, partially, makes him who he is," Leipold said. "That's going to be hard to temper as it happens anyway. Nobody has said that he couldn't [play freely.]"
For Daniels, a clear mind is essential, not only to on-field success, but to avoiding another injury.
"You can't go out there and be worried about getting injured, that's how you get injured," Daniels said. "Quite frankly I don't think it'll be a difference with how I play this year. If I go out there timid and scared to play, that's exactly how I probably hurt myself before I go out there and play my hardest."
On game day, KU expects the QB to be full-throttle. However, what steps must be taken to make sure he's good to go?
"I haven't gotten to anything with our training staff as far as if there needs to be a concern on load management," Leipold said. "I know we will watch the reps and amount of throws. One thing in our practice philosophy, we go pretty fast [and] run multiple huddles. We'll just have to watch total throws and how he's feeling."
Leipold says he avoids asking Daniels for a health status too often, knowing it's a topic he already has to discuss plenty. For Daniels, one challenge is letting off the gas when needed. His competitive nature produces a desire to go all-out all the time, but that's not always best.
"For me, listening to the doctors, to the trainers, to the coaching staff... to how many reps they want me to get," Daniels listed as keys for him to stay healthy. "I've always been a guy that goes out there- If my team is out there I want to do it. I don't want to miss any reps, I don't want to skip any reps, I don't want to be taken out. But at the end of the day you have to be cautious because we need to play 12 games."
Daniels disputed any rumors or reports that he had considered transferring from Kansas. He also was clear in saying the only reason he missed games was due to injury.
"I've never thought about leaving the University of Kansas," he said. "I never thought about quitting on my team. There was nothing in me that said, 'I don't want to play for this team anymore.' The fact that that was something that was out there was detrimental to my mental because now you have my teammates asking me, 'Do you really want to transfer? Is this really how you're feeling? Are you really not hurt?' ... I didn't do all this offseason work to not go out there and play football. I didn't come to college football to not play college football. When we're talking about those situations that hurt me mentally because I want to be out there and I physically can't."
Daniels says he's happy with how KU chose to handle the injury in 2023, opting not to disclose much information around it, because he wanted the focus to be on the guys who were on the field and their success rather than his status.