Kansas quarterback Jason Bean (9) is escorted into the locker room during the second quarter after sustaining an injury on Saturday Nov. 11, 2023 at Memorial Stadium. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas’ quarterback situation may have seemed dire after Jason Bean missed nearly three full quarters of Saturday’s home loss to Texas Tech with a head injury, but KU coach Lance Leipold suggested Monday that Bean has a chance to make a swift return against Kansas State.

“My latest is I’m very optimistic that he’ll be playing on Saturday,” said Leipold, who also noted that Bean did not take part in Sunday’s practice.

Leipold did not provide other details about the nature of the head injury. Bean first exited Saturday’s game after taking an awkward hit on a quarterback draw; he briefly returned but went to the locker room after a turnover on downs in the second quarter.

Jalon Daniels, who entered the season as the Jayhawks’ starter and who Leipold has previously said will once again be the starting quarterback when he is healthy, has missed six straight games and seven overall due to back tightness. He was not dressed to play Saturday.

In his absence, freshman walk-on Cole Ballard, from Westfield, Indiana, had to enter the Texas Tech game and went 9-of-20 for 134 yards passing with an interception, leading KU back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit before the Jayhawks lost on a last-minute field goal.

If Bean were still unable to go — despite Leipold’s optimism — and Ballard were to make his first career start in the Sunflower Showdown, the backup would be either Ben Easters or Mikey Pauley, Leipold said. Easters, a redshirt sophomore from Brownsburg, Indiana, had been the presumptive third quarterback before Ballard, the son of Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, impressed the coaches with his ability to soak up information in fall camp. Pauley is a redshirt freshman and Nebraska transfer who is originally from Overland Park.

The Jayhawks adjusted their practice schedule for this week to include practice on Sunday rather than Monday morning; Leipold said that decision was made prior to Saturday’s game.

“With back-to-back home games and the early kickoff, I thought it would give us a chance to give them some more rest in the morning, Monday morning,” he said. “It’s a long season and you try to give them as much sleep as you can — as we still feel morning practices are good for us.”

The Jayhawks previously had to practice on Sunday night when they came back from Reno, Nevada, earlier in the season. Leipold added that he had seen “spirited, energetic” Sunday night practices before and that the result this time around was “better than expected.”

“I’m really proud of our guys for their attitude, their energy level last night considering another physical football game, the ability to turn the page and get back at it,” Leipold said.

Slot wide receiver Luke Grimm, who sustained an undisclosed injury of his own not long after Bean’s, also did not practice Sunday, but Leipold again said he was “optimistic” about Grimm’s chances for Saturday’s penultimate game of the season.