3 key injured Kansas players ahead of Texas football matchup

Jalon Daniels, QB

The most notable injury storyline of the season for the Jayhawks is clearly the shoulder issue that standout junior quarterback Jalon Daniels suffered in Kansas’ Oct. 8 loss at home to TCU.

Daniels was on a torrid pace prior to this right shoulder injury he suffered last month. In the first five and a half games of the season or so, Daniels managed nearly 1,100 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, one interception, 341 rushing yards, and five rushing scores.

There was even a good bit of Heisman hype that Daniels was starting to build in the first month of the season. Kansas was on fire, getting off to an undefeated start through the first five games of the season with Daniels leading the way at quarterback.

But since Daniels got hurt against the Horned Frogs on Oct. 8, Kansas has posted a record of 1-4.

The good news for the Jayhawks is that it sounds like Daniels is very close to returning to live-game action this season. In fact, Leipold mentioned in his press conference on Nov. 14 that he believes Daniels is “really close” to making his return to the lineup for the Jayhawks.

Daniels was able to go through the pregame warm-ups in each of the last three games for the Jayhawks, but he didn’t take any live-game reps. He has also practiced for the last four weeks.

By the looks of it, Kansas will have Daniels go through a full week of practice. And if the dialogue surrounding his recovery from the shoulder injury continues to improve in the coming days, then a return to live-game action this weekend against the Longhorns is very viable.