Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels’ mindset this fall hasn’t gone unnoticed. Here’s more on his approach, and why it was important to him.
LAWRENCE — Asked about Jalon Daniels’ development during the offseason, Matt Gildersleeve highlighted his mentality more than anything else.
Gildersleeve, Kansas football’s director of sports performance, talked in fall camp this year about just how noticeable it is in Daniels’ approach each day. While the game has always been important to Daniels, KU’s redshirt senior quarterback, the energy Daniels would display on game days in the past has been evident every day. While it’s not as if Daniels has lost his personality, there’s been a shift that Gildersleeve’s noticed dating back to even January.
Daniels, not shy to acknowledge this’ll be his sixth season with the Jayhawks, outlined the mental aspect of the game gives him more clarity. There’s also a desire, to showcase a level of focus that can have an effect on his teammates. It’s about making the most of what’s set to be his last year at Kansas.
“There are a lot of young guys who are looking up to be able to find out the way and the ropes of how we operate the program,” Daniels said. “And sometimes it’s not always about being the happy, funny guy. Sometimes you have to be able to show that when it’s time to win, that’s the main goal, to be able to try to win every single game.”
Daniels explained each offseason he tries to understand what he needs to be able to do to help the team improve. Thinking about how many newcomers are on the roster this year, and the numerous veteran presences last year that had experience in head coach Lance Leipold’s program, helped lead Daniels to his approach in 2025. There’s a happy medium that has to be achieved, sure, but the challenge of finding that is one he’s willing to take on.
It wasn’t lost on Daniels that, when Kansas opened fall camp, that was his last first day of fall camp at the college level. He looks at each year as its own experience, and enjoyed being able to get out on the field with his teammates. And while there are so many newcomers on the roster, practicing with them that day didn’t feel that way.
From offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski’s perspective, Daniels wants to be able to be at his best and show everyone what he’s capable of. Being able to make it through last season, after injuries kept Daniels out at times the previous two seasons, was something Zebrowski described as a mental hurdle Daniels was able to clear. Combine that with the confidence that comes from being an experienced player, and Daniels can be even more of an asset for a wide receivers room that is set to feature a number of new faces.
Of course, the 2024 season did see Daniels struggle at times early on as the Jayhawks got off to a slow start that helped contribute to the team missing out on a bowl game. Zebrowski acknowledged it felt as if Daniels was pressing in some moments, and this year wants to see Daniels avoid that and just have fun. It was around the halfway point of the season last fall, that Zebrowski saw Daniels stop pressing as much and just enjoy himself.
“The midway part, it kind of back to like, ‘Yeah, I’m good,’” Zebrowski said. “And then it carried on into the season.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Inside quarterback Jalon Daniels' mindset with Kansas football in fall
Category: General Sports
