Tag: Jalon Daniels

Jackson Arnold outside the top 10 in ESPN’s 2024 spring quarterback rankings

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold just outside ESPN’s 10 ten QBs for the 2024 season ahead of spring ball.

Anytime you have turnover at quarterback, there are bound to be questions about how the offense will perform the following season.

The Sooners are one of the teams across the country that will be starting a new quarterback in 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred to Oregon. And while there may be some uncertainty, the Sooners have one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

The former five-star prospect isn’t one of the favorites to win the Heisman in 2024 and at this point. At this point he’s just outside the top-10 of ESPN’s quarterback rankings heading into the spring. And a lot of where Arnold is ranked is likely related to his inexperience at the collegiate level.

The only player without much experience that’s ranked ahead of Arnold is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback [autotag]Nico Iamaleavea[/autotag].

Arnold has a lot of talent and is a highly-regarded quarterback, but he and Iamaleava have a lot to prove still. But they’ve got all the talent in the world, and both former five-star quarterbacks were able to get their first start during bowl season.

Arnold and Iamaleava will likely provide the fireworks in the Oklahoma Sooners first conference game in the SEC when they welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to town. That could be the start of a fantastic quarterback battle over the next several years. In the offenses they run with the talent that both schools possess, both former five-star quarterbacks could be dark-horse Heisman contenders in 2024 and frontrunners in 2025.

For the Sooners, everything is set up for Arnold to find himself ranked much higher in these quarterback rankings by the end of the season. The offensive line will come together and the Sooners have a deep pool of skill talent for Arnold to work with.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s top 10.

Kansas quarterback Jalen Daniels makes decision on 2024 season

What a boon for Coach Leipold and the Jayhawks for 2024.

The Kansas Jayhawks received quite a bump on Thursday and injured starting quarterback Jalen Daniels made a decision about his future in Lawrence. Kansas tweeted out that he will return to the Jayhawks for the 2024 season.

“Jayhawk Nation, I want to thank you for your support and well wishes as I battle back from injury,” Daniels stated in the message posted on X (formerly Twitter.) “Personally, it has been an incredibly difficult time being away from the game that I love and not being able to play with my brothers in front of our incredible fans on Saturdays. The adversity that I have faced this season will help me come back even stronger when the time is right. Kansas is a very special place to me, and I will be back next season to continue to move the program forward under Coach Leipold. Rock Chalk!”

Daniels appeared in just three games this season, completing 74.7% of his passes for 705 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also missed time during the 2022 season, only appearing in nine games. Jason Bean has filled in for both seasons and he will be moving on after the season.

The redshirt junior will give the Jayhawks a good chance in the new-look Big 12 next season when Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah enter the fray. Over his career which spans four seasons and 25 games, Daniels has thrown for 4,297 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 63.6% of his pass attempts.

Provided that he is healthy in 2024, he should be a contender for comeback player of the year honors.

5 Jayhawks to know ahead of Oklahoma vs. Kansas

Get ready for Oklahoma’s road trip to face Kansas by getting to know these 5 Jayhawks.

Oklahoma’s quest to Arlington for the right to play for one final Big 12 title continues again this week as the Sooners travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks.

Kansas has had a renaissance of late. They are no longer the sport’s worst program and can undoubtedly give Oklahoma a fight. There’s an avenue for KU to win, especially if the Sooners play like they did against UCF.

Kansas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12 play) will try to get back on track vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0) after suffering a loss in their last game on October 14th against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The bye week came at a perfect time. The Jayhawks will be motivated and rested to try and knock off a top-10 team at home and secure bowl eligibility for the second straight season.

Oklahoma will have their hands full, especially defensively. Kansas has a dynamic offense. KU averages 212 yards on the ground per game on 5.6 yards per carry. The most dynamic aspect would have been their talented signal caller, Jalon Daniels, but he will not play. Instead, senior Jason Bean will lead the way.

Who are the players to know for a team that Oklahoma can’t take lightly? We’ve got you covered below.

Jason Bean expected to start for Kansas when they host the Oklahoma Sooners

While Jalon Daniels is making progress, it sounds like the Sooners will see Jason Bean at quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks this week.

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.”

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.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns on the rise in latest US LBM Coaches Poll after week 5

Ahead of their clash in the Cotton Bowl, undefeated Oklahoma and Texas move up in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after week 5.

The Oklahoma Sooners have made several statements en route to a 5-0 record in the 2023 season. The latest was a 50-20 beatdown of the Iowa State Cyclones, a team that Oklahoma has struggled with in the Matt Campbell era in Ames.

It was a close game for the first quarter and half, but then the Sooners took complete control of the game and didn’t allow Iowa State to score over the final 39 minutes of game time. Oklahoma, on the other hand, closed the game on a 29-0 run to hang half a hundred on the a stingy Cyclones’ defense. With the win, the Sooners moved up to No. 12 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.

Down in Austin, the Texas Longhorns made a statement of their own in their 40-14 win over Kansas. Sure, they were down [autotag]Jalon Daniels[/autotag], but Jason Bean has proven to be a capable quarterback through the years. Like the Sooners, the Longhorns were being tested in the first half. And in similar fashion to their Red River Rivals, Texas took control of the game and it was all she wrote.

The Longhorns moved up to No. 4 in the latest iteration of the poll, replacing Florida State, who needed overtime to beat Clemson last week. The Seminoles were on a bye this week.

Georgia held onto the top spot despite struggling with Auburn. Michigan is No. 2 and Ohio State sits at No. 3 in the nation. Penn State moved in front of USC after the Trojans escaped upstart Colorado. USC held a huge lead and let the Buffaloes get back into the game late.

Washington and Oregon held their spots at No. 8 and 9, and Alabama moved back into the top 10.

After four Big 12 teams were present in the poll a week ago, the Sooners and Longhorns are the only squads featured this week. Kansas dropped out after their loss, and Kansas State was penalized for not playing in week 5.

The Red River Rivals will go to battle next week in a matchup of undefeated top 12 teams in the Cotton Bowl. With ESPN’s College GameDay present for the greatest rivalry in sports, it will be a fantastic atmosphere down in Dallas.

Here’s a look at the full US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 5.

Then continue scrolling to take a look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s win over Iowa State.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 5-0 1589 (59) –
2 Michigan 5-0 1503 (1) –
3 Ohio State 5-0 1405 (2)
4 Texas 5-0 1381 (1) +1
5 Florida State 4-0 1336 -1
6 Penn State 5-0 1241 +1
7 Southern California 5-0 1227 -1
8 Washington 5-0 1199 (1) –
9 Oregon 5-0 1118 +2
10 Alabama 4-1 996 –
11 Notre Dame 4-1 925 +1
12 Oklahoma 5-0 888 +1
13 North Carolina 5-0 795 -4
14 Washington State 5-0 711 –
15 Ole Miss 4-1 617 +2
16 Oregon State 4-1 606 +2
17 Miami 4-0 566 +7
18 Tennessee 4-1 490 +3
19 Utah 4-1 428 +1
20 Kentucky 5-0 356 -4
21 Duke 4-1 319 -6
22 Missouri 5-0 283 +5
23 Louisiana State 3-2 169 +6
24 Fresno State 5-0 144 +9
25 Louisville 5-0 99 +1

Schools dropped out:

No. 23 Florida; No. 24 Kansas; No. 25 Kansas State

Others Receiving Votes: 

Maryland 81; Kansas State 73; Texas A&M 59; Air Force 32; UCLA 29; Clemson 18; Iowa 17; Wyoming 12; Kansas 11; Tulane 10; James Madison 8; West Virginia 6; Brigham Young 5; Wisconsin 3; Marshall 3; Ohio 2; Memphis 1; Florida 1.

Here are some of the best Photos from the Sooners win over Iowa State:

Breaking down Big 12 passers by their total QBR through Week 2

Who is the best of the best in the Big 12 through Week 2?

The Pac-12 might have the greatest selection of quarterbacks in the country, but the Big 12 certainly isn’t lacking in that department.

The two biggest names currently reside with the top names in the conference, Quinn Ewers at Texas and Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma. These two are on a collision course on Oct. 8 in Dallas, Texas.

Last week the Kansas Jayhawks saw the return of their starting quarterback Jalon Daniels, who returned to his 2022 form against Illinois. Newcomers Emory Jones and John Rhys Plumlee are also doing their part to make the Big 12 a top quarterback conference in 2023.

As Week 3 approaches, we break down the Big 12 quarterbacks ranked by their total QBR metric from ESPN.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels to start against Illinois

The Kansas Jayhawks are receiving a big boost as one of their stars is set to return in week 2

Ahead of the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag]’ matchup with the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday evening, the Jayhawks will be getting one of their key pieces on offense back.

On Thursday morning, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold told Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kannell on SiriusXM College Sports Radio that Jalon Daniels, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, will start against Illinois.

“He’s been dealing with a back issue, and it’s muscular. It’s just one of those things that’s pretty limiting in your movements,” Leipold said this morning about Daniels.

“It happened in the first week of camp, and we kind of had to shut it down for a while. He was back very limited, with about seven to ten days before kickoff and doing more and ramping up. As we went through it, it was like, where are we with this thing? And he was available, but yet the total reps over the month of August weren’t where we felt comfortable,” he added about what went into Daniels missing the Jayhawks’ season opener. “He’ll do whatever we ask him to do, and that is what makes him such a quality guy. He’s gone through everything this week, and we expect him to be ready to go when we kick it off.”

In Daniels’s week one absence, the Jayhawks defeated Missouri State 48-17 behind a 22-for-28, 276 yards, and two-touchdown day from backup quarterback Jason Bean. The Jayhawks offense also rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Daniels played in nine games for the Jayhawks last season, completing 66.1% of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns while also rushing for 419 yards and tacking on seven more touchdowns on the ground. With the help of Daniels, the Jayhawks won six games in 2022 for the first time since 2008.

Pair of Sooners included in ESPN’s top 100 college football players for 2023

Ahead of the 2023 season two Sooners were included in ESPN’s top 100 players along with several players they’ll face this season.

The Big 12 may not get the respect that the SEC or the Big Ten do, but there’s a lot of talent in the conference that will be on display every Saturday in the fall.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a pair of players that are among the most talented in the league heading into 2023. Dillon Gabriel and Danny Stutsman will lead the way for their respective sides of the ball this season and were featured on ESPN’s top 100 players for the 2023 season.

Let’s take a look at where they landed in addition to the players Oklahoma will face this season that were also included in the top 100.

Oklahoma Sooners trap game on the 2023 schedule per Heartland Sports

Each year there’s always one “trap game” teams have to look out for, the one for Oklahoma could surprise some people.

Each and every year, there are certain games teams look over because of a bigger matchup the following week. These are called “[autotag]trap games[/autotag].”

The best teams know how to be prepared for any game but at the end of the day, these are college kids. It’s natural to look at other teams on their schedule as games they are more excited about.

Heartland Sports identified one trap game for each [autotag]Big 12 [/autotag] team, who did they select for the [autotag]Sooners[/autotag]? That is the[autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag].

Oklahoma narrowly escaped an offensive shootout with Kansas in 2022, winning 52-42 in Norman. However, that was without Jalon Daniels on the field. If Daniels can stay healthy in 2023, the Jayhawks’ offense should be even more potent than it was a season ago.[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] faces his former team with UCF coming to town in Week 8, while the last-ever Bedlam game is scheduled for Week 10. Brent Venables had better have his guys ready for a trip to Lawrence, because KU will certainly be ready to give the Sooners their best. – Bryan Clinton Heartland Sports

As I mentioned in my season preview, Kansas could be a problem. The Jayhawks have a high-powered offense and return just about everyone on both sides of the ball. They could have won the matchup a year ago if not for the injury suffered by [autotag]Jalon Daniels[/autotag].

That game is sandwiched between two emotional games for the Sooners. One versus Gabriel’s old team, the UCF Knights. The other is the final [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] matchup for the foreseeable future. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t the Kansas of old. [autotag]Lance Leipold[/autotag] is doing a great job of building something there.

Their defense isn’t great, but as Sooner fans know, if you have an elite offense, you can compete with anyone. If the Sooners aren’t ready to play and overlook that game, the Jayhawks will gladly send them to the SEC with a loss.

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Who are the best players and position groups Oklahoma will face in 2023?

Who are some of the players that could give the Sooners the most problems in 2023?

The 2023 Oklahoma Sooners schedule leaves much to be desired. After canceling the game against Georgia Bulldogs, there aren’t many games that move the needle.

Georgia would likely have the most talented players at each position. Losing the back-to-back national champion certainly kills Oklahoma’s strength of schedule.

But the Sooners still face teams with talent, such as the Texas Longhorns and the TCU Horned Frogs. There’s some talent joining the Big 12 this year as well.

So, who are some of the players Oklahoma fans should be looking out for, and what position groups could give the Sooners the most problems heading into the season?

Let’s take a look at the best player or position group the Sooners will face in 2023.