Kansas QB Jalon Daniels Previews K-State Ahead of Sunflower Showdown

Here's what Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels had to say about the Jayhawks' upcoming opponent this weekend.

Aug 23, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) runs the ball during the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels has started in four Sunflower Showdowns before and come up empty each time.

The Jayhawks' signal-caller is determined to finally get a win this time around in front of his home crowd in Lawrence.

On Tuesday, Daniels spoke to reporters during his media availability and discussed the upcoming matchup against K-State. Daniels acknowledged the costly mistake he made last season when he fumbled late in the fourth quarter, giving the Wildcats an opportunity to kick the eventual game-winning field goal.

"It's something that you see every single day as you wake up, and you know you're pissed about it," Daniels said. "The last five minutes, there was a mistake that I made that was very detrimental to the game, two fumbles in those last five minutes. And that's something that hurts me every single time that I watch it."

As always, Daniels took accountability for his mistakes. He is as professional as they come.

He went on to mention that the past few games against the Wildcats have been tight and that the outcome could come down to just a few plays.

"It's no secret, a lot of the games against Kansas State every single year have been close, and it kind of just comes down to who makes the least amount of mistakes," Daniels said. "So it's just about being able to go out there and try to play mistake-free football in preparation for this year's game."

MORE: What Lance Leipold Said About Kansas State Before Sunflower Showdown

Daniels also referred to some new defensive schemes that K-State has drawn up this season. While he wouldn't go into specifics, likely for gamesmanship reasons, he mentioned that they have a lot of playmakers and are putting out new looks.

"They are doing a lot of things differently [defensively] than they've done in the past. They have a lot of skill makers out there who are able to make plays on the ball, especially if you put the ball in jeopardy," Daniels said.

K-State has not exactly impressed on defense this year, allowing 27.0 points per game and surrendering 35 points to FCS North Dakota while giving up at least 20 in every game they have played.

Therefore, Daniels will be expected to carve up the Wildcats' secondary, and the hope is that he can finally lead the Jayhawks to a win in his final rivalry game.

All quotes from On3 and YouTube.