13 July 2023
ARLINGTON, Texas (KSNT) – KU football has a new energy around it.
The Jayhawks carried a punch of swagger at Big 12 Media Days, which went beyond just Jalon Daniels’ fancy chain. This program is confident right now.
“We’ve always been people that want to walk with our chest up,” Daniels said. “Chest out high and proud because at the end of the day, we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re keeping on making these 1% improvements and it’s showing on the field.”
27 Sports Director Glenn Kinley asked Daniels what his goal is for the 2023 season.
“Being able to show the world what Kansas football is doing,” Daniels said. “Being able to show everybody that we’re still steadily making strides, making progress. We’re not taking any steps backwards.”
Part of the progress comes in the form of responsibility. KU’s defense knows it must be better.
“I feel like we like staying in the dark,” KU safety Kenny Logan Jr. said. “We’re glad the offense got the attention right now. That’s how it should be,. We’re going to make sure we go out in the season and try to complement them the best way we can.”
The progress also shows up in the form of a long-term vision. The players on this team seem to care about the program even beyond the years they’ll be in it.
“I try to teach everybody everything I know because I know this is my last season here,” KU linebacker Rich Miller said. “Someone has to take over my position. Right now they ask me all the questions. They ask me ‘Rich what do we do here? What do I do? Rich, What you think?’ Someone else has to answer those questions next year.”
Miller and Daniels sometimes can play ‘Good cop, bad cop.’ Daniels is the smiling, charismatic, uplifting teammate. Miller will crack down when the standard isn’t being met. However, the senior linebacker says there’s good reason for why he’s able to be hard on the guys around him.
“You’ve got to have that relationship,” Miller said. “I knew I had to have a relationship with people to get them to trust me and understand where I’m coming from. They understand I’m coming from a point of love and a point of ‘Let’s win this Big 12 Championship.’ We want to win.”
K-State will speak with the media on Thursday. The 27 Sports team is in attendance for Big 12 Media Days. For more online coverage, click here.