- - Fireworks and touchdowns: How Jalon Daniels and Kansas celebrated their new stadium

DAVE SKRETTA August 27, 2025 at 1:50 AM

1 / 5Fresno St Kansas FootballKansas quarterback Jalon Daniels passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Fresno State, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalon Daniels was about to celebrate the first touchdown in the rebuilt stadium at Kansas when the pyrotechnics went off.

Forgive him for being a little startled.

The Jayhawks never had such trappings when they played in crumbling Memorial Stadium, a century-plus-old concrete structure perched on the northern edge of campus. Heck, they didn't even have a permanent tunnel to run out of on game day, instead entering the field through an inflatable alleyway that looked like part of a children's bounce house.

“The fireworks after scoring touchdowns, I mean, that's something that I was kind of like, ‘Yeah, I wish that we were able to do that earlier in my career,’” Daniels said later, after the Jayhawks beat Fresno State 31-7 in their opener on Saturday night.

Earlier in his career was a long time ago.

If there is anybody who can vouch for how far Kansas football has come over the past few years, it's the sixth-year quarterback running the show. Daniels was recruited by then-coach Les Miles and part of a team in 2020 that didn't win a single game during a freshman season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. And when Miles was fired, and Lance Leipold hired away from Buffalo to begin a vast rebuilding project, Daniels was expected to help lead the efforts.

Yet injuries derailed a career that at one point had Daniels on a short list of Heisman Trophy contenders. He appeared in just 18 games over a three-year stretch in which once-downtrodden Kansas managed to reach a pair of bowl games.

Daniels finally played a full season last year, throwing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns. But the results were not what anyone expected. Forced to play their home games in the Kansas City metro area while their on-campus home was being rebuilt, the Jayhawks proceeded to start 1-5. with that victory coming against lower-level Lindenwood.

By the time the Jayhawks turned things around, and beat three straight ranked opponents, it was largely too late. They lost their regular-season finale to Baylor with a bowl berth on the line, and Daniels & Co. headed into the offseason.

Thanks to injuries and the pandemic, though, the QB was granted a sixth season of eligibility. And with the reimagined stadium set to open last Saturday night, Daniels said the decision to come back for one more go-around was easy.

“I know when I first got here,” Daniels said, “this was a whole entire different thing. And I still thought it was amazing. So to be able to see the new (stadium), to be able to see the new tunnel, to be able to see the new locker room, be able to see all the new things that we're able to enjoy — it means a lot to me.”

The stadium, with its lighting and premium spaces and fireworks, didn't disappoint. And neither did Daniels, who merely went 18 of 20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns in less than a full game's work against Fresno State.

“He's as advertised,” said Cam Pickett, a transfer from Ball State, who hauled in two of the TD passes. “You know, I watched film of him. I was like, ‘Man, like, this dude makes some plays.’ And then I got to see him in person and it was great watching it.”

It wasn't just Daniels' near-perfect throwing performance, or eight carries for 47 yards, that impressed Leipold the most. It was the way Daniels was able to effortlessly direct an offense led by new coordinator Jim Zebrowski in its season debut.

“I thought he had great leadership,” Leipold said. “He was in command. He didn't get rattled. He made people miss and made throws. Just everything you want. He just seemed really confident in what's going on, and that's what you need.”

Especially given what is coming on the horizon. The Jayhawks have another tuneup Friday night against Wagner, then head down Interstate 70 and across the state line for the renewal of the Border War against old Big 12 rival Missouri.

It's the kind of high-profile game that Daniels wanted to be part of one last time.

“I mean, you know, the Class of 2020 guys, the one thing that we always talked about was, ‘We want to be able to help turn the program around,’” Daniels said. “And to be able to, you know, see the product of what we've been able to do over the past five years — because life poses a lot — has been really special.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”