Will Lance Leipold name Kansas football's starting QB this spring?
· Yahoo Sports
LAWRENCE — With Jalon Daniels now pursuing a professional career, Kansas football is evaluating which player will be its next starting quarterback.
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One option is redshirt junior Cole Ballard, who’s been a backup for the Jayhawks for multiple years and saw playing time at different points. Another is redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall, who flashed potential in the limited time he saw on the field in 2025 as a backup. And don’t forget about redshirt junior Chase Jenkins, who transferred in from Rice during the offseason and was the starter there last fall.
But as KU coach Lance Leipold discussed the competition for the starting job Thursday, with spring ball underway for the Jayhawks, he didn’t outline when an announcement will be made on which player has won it. A decision on that might not be made any time soon. It might not even come this spring.
“I do not — we do not, and have not discussed, when we are going to name a starter,” Leipold said. “… It’s not planned to be named this spring at this time, if you’re wondering that. Could it? I don’t know. But I don’t have a timetable in mind about when we’re going to do that.”
The evaluation of the quarterbacks in contention will span many areas each day. That includes which players they’re throwing to or being protected by, as well as which defenders they’re going up against. It’ll include aspects of the job, such as leadership and the ability to analyze a defense.
It’s the first time in a while that Kansas has been in a position like this, having to decide on a new starting quarterback. Daniels made it through each of the past two years playing all 12 games each season, and while he dealt with injury issues in 2022 and 2023, he was still viewed as the starter when available. As the Jayhawks look to make it back to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2023, after a pair of 5-7 seasons, which player they’ll look at as their next starter looms as one of the most significant decisions that needs to be made.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Will Lance Leipold name Kansas football's starting QB this spring?