The Davey O’Brien Award preseason watchlist was released today, highlighting 36 quarterbacks expected to be among the nation’s best in the upcoming season.
As expected, the list features some big names — Arch Manning (Texas), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) — but noticeably absent is Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Daniels made the 2024 preseason watchlist, but Kansas’ 5-7 finish, punctuated by a lopsided 45-17 loss to Baylor on the final day, kept them out of a bowl game and dimmed his national profile.
Statistically, Daniels’ 2024 campaign wasn’t spectacular: 2,454 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 57% completion rate, plus six rushing scores. Still, context tells a better story. After a 1-5 start, Daniels helped lead the Jayhawks to upset wins over three straight ranked opponents — Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado — keeping their bowl hopes alive deep into the season.
Eight Big 12 quarterbacks earned spots on this year’s list: Rocco Becht (Iowa State), Devon Dampier (Utah), Josh Hoover (TCU), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Behren Morton (Texas Tech), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), and Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati). Daniels, meanwhile, was named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year preseason watchlist, joining other Big 12 signal-callers and Colorado’s Kaidon Salter.
The question now is how high Daniels can climb. The past two seasons have been rocky — a season-ending injury in 2023 followed by last year’s uneven numbers — but to say he’s not one of the top 36 quarterbacks in the country feels debatable.
If anything, the omission might fuel him. Kansas fans hope to see a version of Daniels who controls games rather than shouldering the entire offense week in and week out. With former quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski now serving as offensive coordinator and Jim Lubick returning as co-offensive coordinator, the pieces are in place for a bounce-back year.
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