3 reasons Kansas football will struggle in 2024

1. Jalon Daniels' uncertain health

There is no doubt that Jalon Daniels is one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football. If he was playing for a more prominent program, this guy would get more recognition from the national media. He's a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He's a dual-threat quarterback that can make anything happen on the field.

He always keeps defenses on their heels with his ability to avoid the rush. He can scramble out of the pocket, and throw on the run, and his quick-witted decision-making is amazing. There are not many things that he can't do as a quarterback and has NFL potential.

However, there is one nagging problem that's been the Achilles heel: his recent injury history.

Daniels has never completed a full season in college. His freshman and sophomore seasons saw him compete in quarterback battles with Miles Kendrick and Jason Bean. However, as a junior in 2022 and 2023, he's dealt with a few physical disorders. In 2022, Kansas started 5-0 before the 6-foot specimen separated his right shoulder and missed four games.

Last season, Daniels started the year with a back injury he sustained that summer in camp. He missed the opener against Missouri State but returned the next week. He would play the next three games before he re-aggravated the back injury in warmups before the start of the Texas game. Daniels missed the rest of the season after that moment.

With all that being said, it's imperative to watch his health throughout the upcoming campaign. If the 21-year-old sustains another injury that leaves him out for an extended timeframe, Kansas might be in serious trouble. Kansas has relied on reliable backup Jason Bean for the last two years. He is now gone as he signed with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

Why might Kansas be in serious trouble? Aside from Daniels, KU has five other quarterbacks on the roster. Isaiah Marshall is a true freshman from Southfield, Mich. Cole Ballard and TJ Crews IV are redshirt freshmen. Mike Pauley is a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Nebraska last year. Ben Easters is a redshirt junior. Those five individuals have combined for just 36 pass attempts.

There is little experience that the coaching staff can depend on throughout the depth chart. Daniels being fully healthy and playing an entire season is not a certainty. Surprisingly, Kansas football didn't go after a capable man in the transfer portal to be an automatic fill-in to backup Daniels. Perhaps the coaches are comfortable with the guys the had in the system for the last few years.

However, it's unknown how good or productive any of these quarterbacks can be. Kansas fans shouldn't be sweating and stressing about Jalon Daniels getting hurt, especially if he gets great protection from his offensive line. They will balance the workload with tailback Devin Neal but this is something to think about.