Jalon Daniels Performance: Kansas QB Looked Shaky Despite Win

In a Kansas football win that had primarily bright spots for the Jayhawks, there were a few concerns that stemmed from the contest despite the blowout final score of 41-10.

The defense was dominant all night and did not allow a touchdown until West Virginia's backups came in. The offense was effective as a whole due to the emergence of Leshon Williams in the run game, who finished with 19 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown.

But perhaps the biggest concern of the night was the play of Jalon Daniels, who did not appear to be himself for most of the game.

He finished 12-of-24 passing for 138 yards and three touchdowns, a modest stat line for his standards, especially since he added 69 rushing yards and set up a field goal before halftime.

While Daniels was effective scrambling with the ball, he overthrew several open targets that had space in front of them. As the FS1 broadcast pointed out, on several occasions, he could have run for a first down but instead threw an incompletion on the run while contorting his body awkwardly.

These are throws he is certainly capable of making, but they were unnecessary in those situations. Even some of his completions forced receivers to reach high to grab the ball.

Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) during the first half of the game against West Virginia Mountaineers at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 20, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He finished with a 50.0% completion percentage, which is concerning because that was supposedly an aspect of his game that he had corrected. Last year, he completed just 171-of-300 passes (57.0%), the lowest completion percentage of his collegiate career.

The dynamic signal-caller started nonconference play efficiently, completing 90.0% of his passes against Fresno State and 72.0% against Wagner. Now, those numbers respectively dropped to 60.0% and 50.0% in the past two weeks against Missouri and WVU.

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This is a concerning trend that could continue to limit his ceiling if he cannot connect on routine throws.

We are not complaining that Daniels has 12 passing touchdowns to two interceptions, especially compared to his 14 TD and 12 INT ratio a year ago.

However, fans can agree that Daniels absolutely needs to be better when the Jayhawks face stronger Big 12 opponents. Missing his targets will not fly against stingier defenses like Texas Tech and Iowa State, particularly if the run game is not effective.

There were plenty of positive signs from this game, so KU fans should still have a good outlook on conference play. Daniels just needs to be more accurate moving forward.