Lance Leipold Praises Jalon Daniels After Strong Start With Tampa Bay

Former Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels continues to make an impression at the next level, and his former head coach has been following along.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said during media day that he had communicated with Daniels before and after one of his preseason appearances with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Extremely happy for him and proud of him,” Leipold said. “As I told him before he went into that game, I told him how proud I was of him and who he is.”

Leipold said he was able to watch portions of Daniels' performance while traveling with several members of the Kansas program. He later caught up on highlights from the game as Daniels continued his push to make Tampa Bay's roster.

For Leipold, Daniels' performance was about more than what he did on the field.

“I think a lot of people in the Tampa area, let alone in the NFL, got a chance to witness what Jalon's all about,” Leipold said.

He was especially happy to see Daniels enjoying the opportunity afterward.

“More importantly, after the game, seeing him smile and that excitement and the genuine enthusiasm of his personality, which is extremely contagious to a program and organization,” Leipold said.

Daniels spent his entire college career at Kansas and became one of the most recognizable players of Leipold's tenure in Lawrence.

His NFL opportunity comes as Kansas prepares to move forward with a new quarterback for the first time in several seasons.

While Leipold's attention is focused primarily on preparing the current Jayhawks for the season, Daniels' early success has given the Kansas program another former player to follow closely at the professional level.

And for Leipold, seeing Daniels receive that opportunity has been a source of pride as much for the person Daniels became as for his performance on the field.

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