Undrafted Rookie Jalon Daniels Makes Buccaneers History, Starts After Mayfield Injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is expected to miss several weeks after dislocating the thumb on his throwing hand during the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings . That means it's Jalon Daniels time in Tampa.

The undrafted rookie out of Kansas will be thrown into the starting lineup this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers . He will become the first Kansas quarterback to start a game since Frank Seurer in 1987, and is actually the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start a game in Buccaneers history, per CBS Sports Research.

The Bucs have gotten off to a disappointing 0-3 start, and there's plenty of blame to go around for the issues with this team. With head coach Todd Bowles on what feels like an increasingly warmer seat, can this undrafted player come in and spark the offense against a beatable opponent? Let's take a look at who Jalon Daniels is.

Three-star recruit from California

Daniels was born in Lawndale, California, and attended Lawndale High School. As a recruit, 247Sports ranked him as a three-star prospect, the No. 61 dual-threat athlete in the country, and No. 298 overall player from the state of California. Daniels initially committed to Middle Tennessee State, but later decommitted and pledged allegiance to the Jayhawks.

True freshman starter

Daniels was one of three Kansas quarterbacks who appeared during the season opener in 2020, which was played in an empty stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic. He got the start for his second collegiate game, and completed 19 of 33 passes for 159 yards while also rushing for 23 yards in a 47-14 loss to Baylor. Daniels was just 17 years old at the time.

It was a tough season for Daniels and the Jayhawks, as Kansas finished with a 0-9 record. The true freshman completed 50% of his passes for 718 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in seven games played with six starts.

Back to backup, then a memorable first win

Kansas named Jason Bean its new starting quarterback for the 2021 season, but an injury forced Daniels back into the lineup. That first start came against the hated Texas Longhorns -- who were around 30-point favorites against Kansas. Daniels led the Jayhawks to a thrilling 57-56 upset victory in overtime, in which he threw for 202 yards, three touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards and another touchdown.

Daniels showed off his ability as a magician on the game-winning two-point conversion.

> Kansas beats Texas 57-56 on a crazy 2-point conversion in overtime! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/IJy6KZWjqL — The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 14, 2021

Rock Chalk roller coaster

Daniels was named the starter for the 2022 season, which was his junior year. Kansas started hot, winning its first five games before eventually falling to a ranked TCU team. Overall, the Jayhawks tallied their most victories in a single season (6) since 2008, while Daniels threw for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Entering 2023, Daniels was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The college football world was prepared to embrace him as the lovable legend of Lawrence, but a nagging back injury suffered prior to the start of the campaign held Daniels to just three games. Even without Daniels, Kansas went 9-4 and won its first bowl game in 15 years. Running back Devin Neal emerged as a star, rushing for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns that year.

Daniels announced on Nov. 16, 2023 , that he would be returning to Kansas for what would be his redshirt junior season in 2024.

"I'm going to be blunt. This season didn't go as planned," Daniels said. "But life comes at you fast, and sometimes your story's out of your control. But I guess that just means I have unfinished business. My dreams haven't changed, my goals are still there, and my vision for my future is clear. So you want something to talk about? Talk about this: I'm not done yet, and I'm not going anywhere. Rock Chalk."

Kansas had a rough start to the year, losing six of its first eight games. However, the Jayhawks rebounded to beat three ranked teams in a row in Iowa State, BYU and Colorado. Daniels threw for 2,454 yards, 14 touchdowns and a career-high 12 interceptions, but also recorded a career-high 439 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

Daniels then returned for his sixth year at Kansas thanks to COVID-19 and injury waivers.

"It's all about finishing where you started," Daniels told CBS Sports prior to the 2025 season. "I went to multiple high schools. I went to multiple middle schools. Kansas gave me a chance when no other Power Five school in the nation gave me a chance, and I feel like that has a big part to do with it."

Daniels registered his second-straight 5-7 season, and threw for a career-high 2,531 yards, a career-high 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

"My Kansas journey has kind of been just like my life; it's come with a lot of ups and downs, and it hasn't been easy at all," Daniels said. "When I felt like I've been performing at my greatest, trials and tribulations such as injuries have come about. It's always just been about being able to bounce back from it."

NFL journey begins

Daniels' Kansas story didn't go or end how everyone wanted it to. While he flashed star potential, he left Lawrence with a 19-26 record and questions about his future as a football player.

Daniels finished his collegiate career ranked second in program history in passing yards (9,282) and passing touchdowns (67), and was one of two Jayhawks to ever accumulate 10,000 yards of total offense , joining Todd Reesing. Draft pundits criticized his throwing mechanics, accuracy, and ability to diagnose coverages, but what he could do as a scrambler was enticing. It all led to Daniels going undrafted, but he found an opportunity with the Buccaneers.

In Tampa, Mayfield was established as the starter, and he had  Jake Browning as a new No. 2. Browning was once viewed as a top backup in the NFL , as he won four of seven starts with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023. However, Daniels found a way to unseat him. The rookie completed 61.4% of his passes for 239 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions in three preseason games played and also rushed for 37 yards and another touchdown.

Now, Daniels is presented with a massive opportunity. From being an underrated recruit out of California, to the ups and downs at Kansas and his victorious fight to earn a roster spot on an NFL team , Daniels can add another chapter to his already-fascinating story by registering an upset victory in his first NFL start. Who's to say it's not possible? Quarterbacks who did not start Week 1 are a perfect 6-0.

"I think that one thing I learned in college was, you can't be the thermometer, you have to be the thermostat," Daniels said this week. "You have to be someone who comes in and is able to set the temperature of the room, not test the room and try to be able to blend in with it. If a team is low, I have to be able to pick it up to be able to make sure that they're even. If we're high, then I have to be able to be low to be able to make sure that we're even. I try to be as even-keel as possible. I think that being able to go out there and have that even-keeled feel, the team around you feels that."

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/who-is-jalon-daniels-buccaneers-rookie-quarterback/)._