Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels reflects on recent wins against Oklahoma, Texas

LAWRENCE — Jalon Daniels spent a lot of time last week talking about how healthy he is during Big 12 Conference media days in Las Vegas.

Daniels, Kansas football’s redshirt junior quarterback, is coming off a 2023 season where he missed most of the year due to injury. He’s coming off a 2022 season in which he missed some time, too. He can help the Jayhawks compete for a Big 12 title in 2024, so long as he is able to remain available.

But Daniels, who expressed confidence in his current readiness, didn’t just talk about if he can play or not. There were other topics he addressed with reporters. He both looked back on past moments of his college career, and ahead to what’s possible in the future.

Here are a few more takeaways from what Daniels had to say:

Jalon Daniels reflects on 2021 win at Texas, 2023 win against Oklahoma

Kansas has recorded some significant wins across the past few years, including a 2021 win on the road against Texas and a 2023 win at home against Oklahoma. But while Daniels acknowledged both victories meant a lot to the program, they mean a lot in different ways.

Daniels, who didn’t play in the Oklahoma win, highlighted that as an incredible moment the Jayhawks were able to share with their fans. It was a historic moment because they won the last matchup between the two teams before the Sooners left for the Southeastern Conference, but also a moment where Kansas was already confident in its place as a program.

The Texas win, though, came in the first year of head coach Lance Leipold’s rebuild. It instilled confidence in Daniels and his teammates that they are capable of competing against teams like that.

Jalon Daniels highlights his experienced wide receivers

Kansas has an experienced group of wide receivers, led by a trio of seniors in Quentin Skinner, Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold. Daniels recalled how long he’s been working with all of them, how that familiarity helps him feel like they can make the plays they need to and be scary to go up against. They’ve all played a role in why the Jayhawks have turned into a Big 12 contender.

Jalon Daniels expresses support for expanded College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff is expanding from four to 12 teams, and Daniels praised the fact that more teams are going to get opportunities now. He said players with NFL talent will be able to put more on film for scouts against high-profile competition. He also noted that given the Big 12’s status as a power conference, the winner of that league deserves a spot in the playoff.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.