Kansas Football: Gradual improvement coming from the Jalon Daniels led offense

Kansas football has been off to a somewhat rocky start this year, and this isn’t something Jayhawk fans are proud of. However, the offense is looking up going forward going into the bottom half of the season.

It’s been a depressing season for Kansas football. Making the transition between quarterbacks has faulted the Jayhawk offense, just as much as the difficulties endured on the offensive line. It’s a continuing trend, and one not taken lightly.

Despite being winless so far, Kansas is starting to see some efficiency on the offensive side of the ball. True freshman quarterback Jalon Daniels has led this offense for a better portion of the season, and it seems to be a sufficient fit going forward. Daniels has posted better numbers in the pocket than the upperclassmen options at head coach Les Miles’ disposal.

While it’s a positive scene for Kansas finding some talent on the gun, it doesn’t mitigate any of the issues they’ve faced all season. With an abundance of injuries, key talent Pooka Williams Jr. opting out of the season, and offensive line struggles, it’s no surprise that the Jayhawk coaching staff has been given the works this year. However, the new dynamic from Daniels is something that the Jayhawks are beginning to revolve their offense around.

Reigning from Lawndale, California, Daniels has become the leader of the Kansas Jayhawks offense. He has stepped into the driver’s seat in what has been one of the worst seasons in Kansas football history. It appears that Les Miles has a great deal of faith in the freshman and that he is going to be the quarterback for the Jayhawks right now.

With the injury issues this season, it has opened up avenues for some young talent to make their way into the scene. We’ve seen freshmen Luke Grimm and Daniel Hishaw Jr. making some big plays for Kansas in recent games. That is another good sign for the Jayhawks, this will hopefully promote some chemistry as we progress into the offseason. Daniels must adapt to some of the adversity the Jayhawks have faced this season, to improve further in 2021.

Only time will tell whether or not Kansas will look to see some more competition at quarterback, but Daniels has brought a very persuading performance so far this season. It’s obvious Kansas is desperate for a leader on offense, and having a solid starter at quarterback is a huge part of their agenda going forward. Keep in mind, Daniels hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass this season. He has contributed much more on the ground than in the air, with over 80 rushing yards this season.

There are still four more games on the Jayhawks’ schedule this year, and it’s obvious who has the starting job. It’ll be a good experience for Daniels to develop in Big 12 play. The major conversation going forward is going to be how Kansas can develop an offense around the young quarterback.

Numerous commits such as 4-star prospect Keon Coleman and more recently Jaddai Henry have announced their plans to re-enter their recruitment processes. Without a doubt, the rocky season has played an influence. Miles is going to have to rebound and curb these crucial losses to their upcoming recruitment class.

Kansas has a tough closing schedule, with match-ups against Oklahoma, Texas, and TCU. These will prove difficult for Kansas, even with their defense starting to pick up more consistent patterns. Letting up 40-50 points each game is simply ridiculous.

Regardless, the Jayhawks will have a chance to steal a win on the season vs Texas Tech, who has only two wins on their 2020 campaign. This will still require a lot from Kansas, as well as big plays from Jalon Daniels, who will need to be on his toes for the rest of the season. If we don’t see any more consistency from the Jayhawk offense, it’ll likely be a winless one for Les Miles’ second year as head coach.