Kansas freshman quarterback Ethan Vasko (15) tosses the ball during Kansas Football Training Camp on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.

With Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels not expected to play Saturday at Oklahoma, and Jason Bean preparing to make the start, the depth behind KU’s top two QBs also has been impacted by Daniels’ injury.

Freshman quarterback Ethan Vasko is slated to be Bean’s immediate backup when the 19th-ranked Jayhawks take on the Sooners at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norman.

Those who have seen him operate since his arrival on campus believe the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Vasko is ready for the moment.

“His understanding and ability to command what we’re doing offensively is impressive as a freshman,” KU Offensive Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said Wednesday, when asked about Vasko. “Ethan certainly has a sense of confidence about him in what we’re doing.”

That is a trait that both Daniels and Bean share, as well, but it’s only part of what makes KU’s shifting of the pieces on the depth chart a little less worrisome than it could be.

Vasko also has a similar skill set to Daniels and Bean, and Kotelnicki said Wednesday that they have not had to make any major changes to the offense to account for not having Daniels. Bean’s experience and his nine starts a season ago play a big role in that. But everyone who plays the quarterback position at Kansas is trained in a similar manner.

“We’re not going into the game with a different kind of call sheet,” Kotelnicki said. “It’s the same game. Same offense.”

Those words mimicked what KU coach Lance Leipold said Tuesday, when he proclaimed, “The call sheet’s the call sheet.”

Still, there is some comfort in knowing that Vasko, like Bean and Daniels, can execute both the run and the pass from the QB position. Having a quarterback that can do both has been a key component of KU’s 5-1 start to the season.

“All the quarterbacks run like me,” a smiling Bean said Wednesday.

Bean added that he has talked with Vasko this week about the role of being the backup on game day. But that type of communication wasn’t anything new.

“I’ve been trying to help them all season,” he said of KU’s younger quarterbacks. “I think that’s one of the big things, being an older guy, passing down the knowledge to the younger guys. I feel like I’ve tried to do that as much as I can because I care about those guys and I want them to succeed as much as I do.”

Of Vasko in particular, Bean added: “I’ve seen a lot of growth in him in the short time I’ve been around him. I’ve just tried to pass down everything I know to him just to make sure he’s ready whenever it’s his time to step in.”

Sophomore running back Devin Neal said Vasko’s current position reminded him of his early role a season ago.

“I’ve kind of tried to give him some advice when I can,” Neal said Wednesday. “Just taking in the moment, staying where your feet are and not trying to get too ahead of himself. He’s handled it well, too. He’s pretty mature. So I think he’s really prepared and if his number’s called he’s ready to go.”

As for Bean, who is set to make his first start since Week 9 of the 2021 season, the redshirt senior said he was “more confident” and comfortable in the offense.

“I’m excited to have this full week of preparation,” Bean said Wednesday.

Asked if there were any obvious advantage to knowing he would start at the outset of the week, Bean said that knowledge did not change much about the way he prepared.

“I don’t think there’s that much of a difference,” he said. “I feel like I’m trying to be the guy each and every day, competing with Jalon, and the thing for me is making sure I’m ready whenever I have to go in. I feel like, so far, we’ve had a good week. We’ve got to finish out the week strong and I’m excited about this weekend.”

When asked Wednesday how long he thought Bean might have to step in for Daniels — therein keeping Vasko one play away from going in, as well — KU’s OC said he did not know.

“Day to day,” Kotelnicki said, also echoing Leipold’s words from Tuesday. “It really is. Day to day.”