KU quarterback Jason Bean announces plan to return to Kansas for 2023 season
The Kansas football program will head into the 2023 season with both of its top quarterbacks from 2022 back on the roster.
That became clear on Friday, when Jason Bean announced on social media that he was returning to Kansas rather than looking for another opportunity elsewhere.
Bean’s message was simple: “Rock with me or don’t,” he wrote. “More work to do.”
The post was accompanied by a highlight reel of some of Bean’s biggest moments from the 2022 season. The video wrapped with a photo of Bean dropping back to pass and the words “I’m Back” written over the top of it.
Midway through the season, Bean was the KU starter for four games while opening-day starter Jalon Daniels recovered from a shoulder injury. During that time, the KU players and coaches spoke glowingly of Bean’s team-first approach.
The relationship between Bean and Daniels was talked about often during 2022, and both QBs said repeatedly that they were as close as it gets and they appreciated how they made each other better, rooted for each other and pushed one another.
While used in certain packages and plays as a gadget-type player while Daniels was at QB, Bean always stayed ready and took over the offense without blinking when Daniels was hurt during the Jayhawks’ loss to TCU.
Bean nearly led KU to a win with a stellar second half against the Horned Frogs. A few weeks later, he did lead Kansas to a win over Oklahoma State, when KU clinched a bowl berth for the first time in 14 years.
Although the Jayhawks lost to TCU, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech with Daniels out, Bean put up good numbers, throwing for better than 200 yards in every game and accounting for 17 total touchdowns.
Bean finished the 2022 season with 1,280 passing yards, a 64% completion rate and 18 total touchdowns — 14 passing and 4 rushing.
His experience, both as KU’s 2021 starter and a starter at North Texas before coming to KU, gave KU’s coaching staff confidence to continue to run what they wanted to run on offense with Bean under center.
Many believed that Bean, who threw the last pass of KU’s season on a failed 2-point conversion in a triple-overtime loss to Arkansas at the Liberty Bowl, would enter the transfer portal and look to go to another school where he could potentially start in 2023. But the news Friday made it clear that he enjoys it at KU and wants to stay with this team and these coaches to complete his college career.
Bean’s announcement came one day after KU defensive end Lonnie Phelps Jr. announced his intention to leave Kansas to declare for the NFL draft.
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