How will Texas Tech football handle Jalon Daniels in first meeting with Kansas QB?

When Jalon Daniels takes the Jones AT&T Stadium field on Saturday, it'll mark the first time the Kansas quarterback has ever looked across the line of scrimmage to see the Texas Tech football team staring back at him.

Despite his six-year collegiate career, which includes 43 career games, Daniels' injury history and the Big 12 Conference's scheduling, which did not pair Texas Tech and Kansas in 2024, have prevented the matchup from happening. Tech linebacker Bryce Ramirez, in his seventh year with the Red Raiders, admitted it's a bit odd that it's never occurred to this point.

"It is weird how it played out," Ramirez said Tuesday. "He was injured like every time we played them, so I'm excited to play him finally. It'll be huge. He's a really good player. Poses a great challenge for us. I love challenges. We as a team love challenges."

Having earned the program's highest ranking since 2008, the Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0) are expected to handle the Jayhawks (4-2, 2-1) without much issue. That possibility rests on Tech's ability to contain the dual-threat quarterback, which will be a bit tricky.

Daniels has spent much of his career battling injuries, although he went through last season unscathed and has continued to do so in 2025. He ranks 13th in the nation in passing yards (1,497) and has 16 passing touchdowns already. Daniels is also a threat to move the offense with his legs, having racked up 239 yards while leading the team with 50 rushing attempts.

Texas Tech has seen running quarterbacks this season, namely Utah's Devon Dampier. Head coach Joey McGuire said Kansas uses Daniels much the same way Utah utilizes Dampier, calling more designed run plays for the QB than normal.

The Red Raiders limited Dampier to 27 yards on 11 attempts, but there's a size difference between him and Daniels. Dampier is listed at 5-foot-11 and 204 pounds, while Daniels is 6-foot and 220 pounds.

"He's a thicker guy," Ramirez said of Daniels. "... He's tougher to tackle. He'll fall forward. We tackle him; he's not going to go down easy. He poses a big threat for us."

Another difference between Daniels and Dampier is the offenses they run. Safety Cole Wisniewski said Tech players won't be able to use what they did against Dampier with Daniels because of how they operate.

"He has his own flair," Wisniewski said of Daniels. "He has different tendencies in his level of threat as well as who he is as a player."

Kansas also uses much more pre-snap motion and shifts on offense. Wisniewski estimated the Jayhawks use those tactics "on probably 80 to 90% of plays." That makes staying connected as a unit more important.

"We're going to be working on our communication, our non-verbal," Wisniewski said. "... I think our best preparation is going to be watching him and see what teams have done well to contain him. But ultimately we know what we have to do. In the back, we have to stay on our guys, and in the front, they have to make sure they're not allowing rush lanes for him to step up into the pocket."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football to face Kansas QB Jalon Daniels for first time ever