The biggest question mark this week ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners’ road trip to Lawrence is the health of Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Daniels has been out the last several weeks due to a lingering back issue that kept him out of the season opener against Missouri State. And it looks like it may keep him out against the Sooners this Saturday.
Joining Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty on Sports Radio 810 a.m. Tuesday morning, Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold provided an update on the KU quarterback.
“He’s making progress,” Leipold said of Daniels. “It’s still not where it needs to know. Again, today will be a big day. I haven’t heard what the trainers are going to say, but right now, I would expect Jason Bean to be the starting quarterback, and that’s the direction we’re heading.”
Joining us on the @810BorderPatrol, KU Football Coach Lance Leipold told us that Jalon Daniels had just left his office this morning. He said Daniels continues to make progress from his injury, but it's likely that Jason Bean will still be the starter this weekend vs Oklahoma.
— Nate Bukaty (@nate_bukaty) October 24, 2023
Jason Bean isn’t your typical backup quarterback. He’s played a lot of football and been productive when he’s gotten the opportunity to play. This season, Bean has completed 65% of his passes for 913 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s thrown just two interceptions (both in the loss to Oklahoma State). Bean is averaging 9.6 yards per attempt, which would be tied for seventh in the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify.
He may not have the same ceiling that a guy like Jalon Daniels has, but he’s a player capable of putting on a show through the air. Just last year against Oklahoma, Bean threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns. That was a week after throwing for 262 yards and four scores against TCU.
As Leipold mentioned, Daniels is making progress. So Brent Venables and his staff will have to be prepared for the potential that Daniels could play. However, it’s looking like it will be Jason Bean leading the way for the Jayhawks on Saturday.
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