Kansas QB Jalon Daniels Refutes Report That He Is Out For Season

Editors’ Note, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect Jalon Daniels’s comment contradicting the report that his injury is season-ending.

On Tuesday afternoon, a report surfaced from Lawrence Journal-World contributor Zac Boyer that Jalon Daniels, starting quarterback for No. 19 Kansas and one of college football’s breakout stars this season, would miss the remainder of the year with a separated shoulder he suffered during Saturday’s loss to TCU. Hours later, that report was refuted—by Daniels himself.

Boyer reported that Daniels had been diagnosed with a Grade 3 shoulder separation, and that backup Jason Bean—who came in for Daniels during the second half against TCU on Saturday—would take over as the new starter.

Following Daniels’s tweet contradicting the original report, Journal-World sports editor Matt Tait posted a tweet saying that Boyer did not share his information to undergo the outlet’s typical vetting process, and that the details were unconfirmed by any of the publication’s staff.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold has said that Daniels is doubtful for Saturday’s matchup against Oklahoma, but would not speculate beyond the Jayhawks’ next game.

Daniels has been among the breakout stars of the first half of the season, commanding one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. In six games, Daniels completed 66.7% of his pass attempts for 1,072 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He also ran for 341 yards and five scores, with the Jayhawks averaging 41.6 points per game through their 5–0 start.

Bean stepped in and thrived in Daniels’s absence, leading the offense to 28 second-half points. He finished the game completing 16 of 24 pass attempts for 262 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while adding 34 yards on the ground.