Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels added another accolade to his growing list of preseason honors on Thursday, being named to the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award Watch List, which highlights 36 of the nation’s top returning college quarterbacks.
This is the fourth preseason watch list for Daniels, who has already been recognized by the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and the Comeback Player of the Year Award. His inclusion in the Davey O’Brien Watch List marks his second consecutive season being recognized among the top returning quarterbacks.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the oldest and most prestigious award for college quarterbacks, is given annually to the nation’s best. The 48th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner will be held on Monday, February 17, 2025, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The watch list was compiled by a subset of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, based on past Division I performances and expectations for the 2024 season.
Daniels is set to return for his fifth season at Kansas in 2024, after passing for 705 yards and five touchdowns in just three games last year. In 2022, he emerged as a standout player, leading the Jayhawks to a 5-0 start and their first bowl appearance since 2008. He earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors by completing 66.1 percent (152-of-230) of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. Daniels capped off his sophomore season with a record-setting performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where he threw for 544 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for another score.
Hailing from Lawndale, California, Daniels enters the season ranked No. 9 in Kansas history with 4,297 passing yards and No. 5 with 31 passing touchdowns. His current career completion rate of 63.6 percent (365-of-574) positions him to potentially break the school record of 63.3 percent, set by Todd Reesing from 2006-09.
This year’s watch list features 22 seniors, 12 juniors, and two sophomores, with Daniels being one of eight Big 12 quarterbacks on the list, tying the conference with the ACC for the most honorees. The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, October 22, and will include active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, weekly Great 8 recipients, and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.
Semifinalists from the QB Class will be announced on Tuesday, November 12, with the three finalists revealed two weeks later on Tuesday, November 26. The 2024 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 12, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
