photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has one year of eligibility left with which to play college football, participated in senior-day festivities on Saturday against Colorado, but he said postgame it was primarily because he graduates this winter.

“I feel like that’s really all that went into it,” Daniels said. “This is a class that has been here since 2020. We got guys like Luke Grimm. I mean, Cornell Wheeler’s a transfer, but he’s my roommate and my best friend. So Quentin Skinner as well, I mean, there’s a lot of guys who came in with that 2020 class, and I feel like being able to cherish that moment with them is something that really kept me into being able to do that.”

In his weekly press conference on Monday, head coach Lance Leipold acknowledged that Daniels “will continue to have a lot of decisions to make,” but said that Daniels had long been planning to walk on senior day this season.

“A lot of those guys that had eligibility remaining, because this group was close, they wanted to do that,” Leipold said. “We had guys last year do the same that returned.”

Specifically, Dylan Downing, a walk-on linebacker, came back to KU for the 2024 season after walking on senior night in 2023 prior to the game against Kansas State in Lawrence.

Daniels still has at least one game left to play as the Jayhawks’ starting quarterback this year and potentially one more if KU can beat Baylor and earn bowl eligibility. But his future is uncertain. Unlike last season, when the then-injured quarterback put out a video in mid-November assuring fans he’d return to Lawrence for a redshirt junior year, Daniels has been quiet about his plans beyond 2024.

After a poor start to the season as he eased back into action following his long-term back injury, Daniels has in his last six games thrown for 1,369 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 293 yards and four more touchdowns.

If he didn’t come back, whether to turn pro or transfer elsewhere, KU would need to forge ahead with Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and whomever else it might acquire in the offseason.

Other players with additional eligibility who went through senior day include starting right tackle Logan Brown, as well as rotational defensive tackle Kenean Caldwell and backup center Dre Doiron.

Brown, incidentally, is doubtful for Saturday’s game after an injury against Colorado, Leipold said. If he can’t go, Calvin Clements would likely start at left tackle with Bryce Cabeldue sliding over to right.

Key absence

Secondary running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. has been in and out of action this season. After sitting out games against UNLV and Kansas State due to illness and injury, he did not play on Saturday against Colorado.

“He’s away from the team right now with a personal family matter that he’s dealing with,” Leipold said on Monday.

Third-string running back Sevion Morrison received a career-high 11 carries in Hishaw’s absence against Colorado.

Hishaw missed the 2021 season and most of the 2022 season due to injury, but excelled as a complementary back to Devin Neal in 2023, when he ran for 626 yards and eight touchdowns. In periodic action in 2024, he has 376 yards and three touchdowns.

Hishaw has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining following 2024.

Early kick

After previously designating the game for its six-day selection window, the Big 12 Conference eventually revealed 11 a.m. as the kickoff time for KU’s matchup at Baylor on Saturday.

This is just the second early kick for the Jayhawks all season, as they have played six night games and four afternoon games. The previous early kick was at West Virginia, so it started at noon local time.

Leipold suggested it could be beneficial to get up early and get going for Baylor, especially given that the Jayhawks typically practice in the morning.

“I think (it’s) probably one that where it’s at and everything, to sit around in a hotel on the road is always a little more difficult than what you’d like,” Leipold said.

KU is also staying in Waco, Texas, where Baylor is located, instead of its host city from previous years, Temple, which is 35 miles away.

A victory will get KU to bowl eligibility, while a loss will likely mean the end of the Jayhawks’ season. Baylor is already bowl eligible at 7-4 but has a slim chance of reaching the Big 12 title game with a victory and a slew of favorable results elsewhere in the league.

KU has never won at McLane Stadium.