Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Sunflower Showdown time, and thoughts on the KU hoops team’s bench
It’s an excellent time to be a KU football fan.
Not only are the Jayhawks rated No. 25 in the college football playoff rankings, we learned this week that star quarterback Jalon Daniels isn’t planning on going anywhere else next season.
That’s right: Daniels said he will return to the Jayhawks next season in a video he released Thursday.
What a way to quash rumors that he was potentially intending to transfer to another program.
Can’t forget, KU (7-2, 4-3 Big 12) hosts No. 23 K-State (7-3, 5-2) at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kansas looks to end a 14-game losing streak to the Wildcats.
Let’s jump into another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for the questions!
I think it’ll come down to who makes the fewest mistakes. KU needs to play near flawless, so that means no turnovers or penalties. If the Jayhawks can limit those things, they have a solid chance.
On the flip side, if the Jayhawks can force K-State QB Will Howard to throw interceptions (eight so far this season), KU’s offense will have that many more opportunities to score.
Fairchild does a lot well on the field, but he’s currently projected to go undrafted, according to multiple mock drafts. I imagine he’d still get invited to an NFL training camp to show what he can do.
Knowing his work ethic, I would venture to say that yes, he could make an NFL roster.
I think it’ll be sixth-year guard Nick Timberlake.
Thus far, he’s struggled with his shooting and defense. Known as a sharpshooter, he’s currently shooting just 33% from 3-point range.
He’s going through a bit of a slump. His confidence would surely get a boost if he’s able to shoot better over the Jayhawks’ next few games.
As happened with KU guard Kevin McCullar last season, I bet Timberlake improves as the season progresses.
I’m very high on the KU freshmen Johnny Furphy and Elmarko Jackson.
Furphy, in particular, seems to do a lot well on the court. So far, the young Australian appears to be ahead of most college freshmen on the game’s learning curve.
Jackson, meanwhile, is an incredible talent and projected lottery pick. He still needs to adjust to the college game, but he’s already shown flashes of greatness. Once he figures it out, he will be a special player.
And as mentioned above, Timberlake should return to form, too. He just needs to adjust to playing a different role on this team.
You have to trust that an experienced player like Timberlake will figure it out and give KU some quality rotation minutes as the season progresses.
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 12:02 PM.
