ESPN Lists Kansas Football QB Jalon Daniels as Top 25 Signal-Caller in College Football

ESPN writer Bill Connelly released his Power 4 quarterback rankings this week based on their play thus far into the 2025 college football season.

Among the 68 quarterbacks on the list, KU’s Jalon Daniels comes in at No. 21 in the country after previously being rated No. 10 overall in Connelly’s previous rankings. Daniels is the fourth highest rated Big 12 quarterback behind Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby (No. 9), Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson (No. 18), and Utah’s Devon Dampier (No. 19).

Daniels owns a Total QBR of 72.9 to go along with 2,190 passing yards, 504 rushing yards, and 24 total touchdowns so far this year.

“A career that began during the 2020 COVID season will soon end with Daniels No. 2 on Kansas' passing yardage and touchdown lists, behind only Todd Reesing,” said Connelly. “Although he never has gotten enough help from his defense (average defensive SP+ ranking in his time: 89.0), he's wrapping up the year playing clean ball: He has thrown only three interceptions, and the Jayhawks are 26th in offensive success rate.”

Evaluating the ranking

The No. 21 ranking seems a bit surprising for Daniels considering the Jayhawks aren’t one of the top 25 teams in college football (or close to it).

Under new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski and co-offensive coordinator Matt Lubick, Daniels has looked more comfortable running the offense this year (compared to last).

His dual-threat ability keeps defenses honest, and he has the arm strength to make just about any throw on the field. He’s also not afraid to take over when the team needs him to make a big play.

But the wins just haven’t come as expected for the Jayhawks this year and Daniels bears some responsibility for that.

Despite not turning the ball over much through the air, Daniels has had his share of fumbles when running the football – accounting for seven of the team’s 17 fumbles this season.

His miscues in the Missouri game were costly. One of his fumbles turned into a safety and a field goal by the Tigers which really changed the momentum of the game heading into halftime. The Jayhawks ultimately lost that game 42-31.

Against Cincinnati on their 2-yard line with about 12 minutes remaining and the Jayhawks trailing 30-27, Daniels fumbled the ball on a carry toward the end zone which would have likely given the Jayhawks a 34-30 lead. Instead, the Bearcats recovered the ball and went on to win the game 37-34 – a game that has haunted the Jayhawks ever since with their now precarious prospects for bowl eligibility.

Daniels also contributed two turnovers in the disappointing 42-17 loss to Kansas State in this year’s Sunflower Showdown which was a must-win game for the KU program.

However, some of the mistakes he’s made this year can all be forgotten if he can somehow propel the Jayhawks to a bowl game and end his time in a Kansas uniform on a high note.

The Jayhawks’ next chance at getting that important sixth win comes next Saturday when the team travels to Ames, Iowa, to take on the 6-4 Iowa State Cyclones (3-4 in Big 12 play).