Jalon Daniels Faces Final Chance To Win a Kansas Football Rivalry

KU's quarterback has one more chance to prove himself against one of the Jayhawks' rivals.

Oct 11, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) in the first half during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Jalon Daniels and his tenure with the Kansas football team can be described with one word: loyalty.

He arrived in Lawrence when the program was at rock bottom, yet he never once looked for an easier path elsewhere.

Daniels remained with the Jayhawks through a coaching change, transfer portal rumors, and plenty of outside speculation from other fanbases. He stuck at KU through it all and is now the only quarterback in the nation to have started a game for the same school six years in a row.

The California native has racked up plenty of achievements as the school's No. 2 all-time passer and one of the best quarterbacks in program history. However, one thing he still lacks is a win over a rival.

As every Jayhawk fan knows, KU is in the midst of a 16-game losing streak to its in-state foe, Kansas State. The two schools will meet again next week in the annual Sunflower Showdown in front of what should be a packed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Daniels has started four of the five Sunflower Showdowns during his collegiate career, but this will be his last chance to finally pull off a victory. His eligibility is set to expire following the current campaign since he is a redshirt senior.

In each of the past five years, the Wildcats have simply been the better team on the field, even during KU's successful 9-4 campaign in 2023. The Missouri matchup proved no different earlier this year, with the Tigers handing Daniels another rivalry defeat.

You can say what you want about the Jayhawks almost pulling off upsets in past seasons and the crucial mistakes that occurred down the stretch (we're looking at you, Rich Miller), but the fact of the matter is that they never happened.

Every time it has felt like the moment might finally come, Kansas State has found a way to spoil it.

This year, though, things might finally line up in Daniels' favor. K-State hasn't looked great, sitting at 3-4 with bad losses to Army and Arizona and a near-defeat to FCS school North Dakota.

If there were ever a time for Daniels to break the streak and cement his legacy in Lawrence, this is it. Not only will he already be remembered among the best Kansas signal-callers ever, but he would also be known as the man responsible for breaking the dreadful Sunflower Showdown losing streak.