Rich Rodriguez Praises Jalon Daniels, Kansas Football in Press Conference

West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly press conference. He previewed the upcoming matchup between the Mountaineers and the Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday.

Rodriguez, who is in the first year of his second stint in Morgantown, is coming off his first signature win since returning to WVU. The Mountaineers defeated Pittsburgh in an exciting overtime thriller, giving them significant momentum heading into the Big 12 opener.

During his media appearance, Rodriguez spoke about what he sees in the film room from KU football. One thing he continually mentioned was the play of Jalon Daniels, the Jayhawks' star quarterback who has impressed early on in 2025.

What Rich Rodriguez Had to Say About Kansas Football

"He can run. You look at him, he's a well-built, strong-looking player. Breaks a lot of tackles. You hate going against mobile quarterbacks like that who have got experience," Rodriguez said about Daniels.

Across three contests, Daniels has thrown for 679 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 72.0% completion percentage.

The dual-threat star is healthier than ever and looking to lead the Jayhawks to a Big 12 title. He is one of the most experienced players in college football and the only quarterback in the NCAA to start a game in six straight years at the same school.

"I mean, you could have the perfect defense called and you got a guy right on him and he shakes somebody or makes somebody miss and runs for first down, or extends a play, makes a big play. And so that's the biggest concern you have when you play an athletic guy like that: You might have everything lined up right, but he makes a play and makes you look silly. So we got to be ready."

Rodriguez also praised head coach Lance Leipold, citing similarities in their path to the top of college football. Leipold made a name for himself at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, while Rodriguez excelled as the coach at Glenville State over 30 years ago.

"We kind of came up the same way through the bus leagues, small schools," Rodriguez said. "Sometimes it's like being a high school coach, you got to do what you can do and be a little bit more creative in ways."

"And he's always been creative in the way some of the stuff they've done offensively, and he's won. I mean, the guy, he's won," he continued. "It's something to win when at a place that always wins, and or winning a place that doesn't always win. He's won at places that didn't always win. And that's what's really impressive."

Leipold was at the helm for Buffalo from 2015-2020 before succeeding Les Miles for the Kansas job. He has led the Jayhawks to a 24-29 record in his fifth season, including a pair of bowl appearances.

WVU's coach clearly knows what kind of team he is preparing to face this weekend and certainly won't take Kansas lightly.