QBs Jalon Daniels, Jason Bean wow at Kansas Jayhawks’ Spring Showcase football event
Kansas football held its Spring Showcase on Friday with more than 5,000 fans and dozens of recruits in attendance at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
It was KU football coach Lance Leipold’s second such event, and his first since leading the Jayhawks to their first bowl appearance in 14 years.
How different was this showcase than Leipold’s first?
“Night and day ... We’re not at the two-year period yet of being here, (but) in so many ways we’ve taken big steps, positive steps,” Leipold. “(Still) we’re nowhere near where we want to be and where it needs to be for the big picture for longevity and consistency.”
Kansas has undoubtedly come a long way since Leipold’s arrival.
“I’m very proud of this group,” Leipold said. “I am proud of the guys that have really been through all of this since we arrived and how much I think just our culture and attitude has changed.”
Here are some takeaways from the scrimmage:
Jalon Daniels continues to look like a star
Despite managing his snaps all spring due to a shoulder injury, quarterback Jalon Daniels played great on Friday. He made the right progressions for throws, got the ball into tight spots and limited his mistakes to one interception.
That’s all you could ask for in a situation like this.
“Jalon … he amazing,” said cornerback Cobee Bryant. “Jalon is just an amazing football player. The first day we got on campus we kind of knew we were going to grow (with) each other and get closer, me and Jalon. … He’s just a good football player.”
Trickery in action
All spring, backup QB Jason Bean has been KU’s Swiss-army knife.
He’s played multiple roles, from quarterback to running back to wide receiver and even punt returner. The Jayhawks plan to use his quickness and versatility to their advantage in multiple scenarios.
We saw a little bit of that Friday night. Playing mostly QB, Bean lined up as wide receiver on one tricky play. Daniels sent him a screen pass, and from there Bean launched a cross-field throw that looked accurate but was slightly underthrown for an incompletion.
Bean also got a direct snap out of the backfield in the red zone, which he turned into a touchdown.
Seth Keller looks like the real deal
Kansas ranked last in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (53.8%) last season.
But the Jayhawks have since picked up two kickers via the transfer portal — Seth Keller from Texas State and Charlie Weinrich of Nebraska.
Keller made 87% of his field-goal attempts and all of his extra-point attempts in his three seasons at Texas State. And you could see his accuracy Friday night.
A week ago, special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu said the competition to win the starting kicker job was fierce. Keller was the first kicker KU used Friday, a sign that he could be the frontrunner.
Kansas escapes with just one injury
All spring, Leipold has called this the most physical group he’s had since arriving in Lawrence.
KU played hard Friday evening but came away with a single reported injury (to offensive lineman Michael Ford).
“I thought we came out of this a more physical football team,” Leipold said of his team’s spring practice period. “On nights like this, you’re holding your breath as a head football coach that you can get out of this as healthy as possible. The players played hard, showed some flashes and I’m generally pleased with how we looked in this one.”
