Former Kansas Football QB Jalon Daniels Earns QB2 Spot with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There’s been perhaps no better story during the 2026 NFL Preseason than the performance and rise of former Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels.

After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and then picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels now finds himself as the primary backup to starter Baker Mayfield after NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news Sunday that Daniels has secured the job with an impressive showing during preseason play these last few weeks.

Daniels finished preseason play 27-of-44 through the air (61.4%) with 239 yards passing and one touchdown. He also rushed for 37 yards and one touchdown in those three games – ultimately beating out Jake Browning for the backup job behind Mayfield, who failed to secure a contract extension with the Bucs this offseason.

Sources: The #Bucs are moving forward with UDFA QB Jalon Daniels as their backup QB to Baker Mayfield, as he’s impressed throughout camp. A true find and a very cool story. pic.twitter.com/bi1KYzmC9G
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2026

Rock Chalk Rookie

It’s no surprise that Daniels has defied the odds at the NFL level after doing so many times during his tenure in Lawrence.

Daniels was an overlooked high school recruit out of Lawndale, California. Rated just a three-star prospect by every major recruiting service, KU was the only Power 5 school to offer him a scholarship thanks to former Kansas head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon.

He took advantage of the opportunity and ended up making six starts as a 17-year-old freshman during the 2020 season, passing for 718 yards and one touchdown.

The next year, Daniels led the Jayhawks to a stunning upset over the Texas Longhorns on the road – breaking KU’s horrendous 56-game Big 12 road losing streak in the process and securing the program’s first-ever win in Austin.

The following year, Daniels led KU to a 5-0 start, a top 25 ranking, and was receiving Heisman Trophy consideration before suffering a devastating shoulder injury to TCU. However, he eventually bounced back and threw for a school-record 554 yards in the Jayhawks’ heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the 2022 Liberty Bowl.

That success provided Daniels the opportunity to transfer to a more established program, but through all the ups and downs, he remained loyal to Kansas. He played every year of his collegiate career in a Jayhawk uniform and became the school’s second all-time leader in passing yards (9,282) and passing touchdowns (67) by the time his KU career came to an end in the fall of 2025.

Daniels has been overlooked his whole career, but his hard work and determination are what got him to where he is today. And if his time at Kansas was any indication, his story in the NFL is only just beginning.

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