Kansas
Jalon Daniels provides the twist Kansas football’s new offensive coordinator is bringing
Kansas football coach Lance Leipold reacts to spring showcase event
Check out what Kansas football coach Lance Leipold had to say recently after the Jayhawks held their spring showcase event in Lawrence.
LAWRENCE — It didn’t take long, as Lance Leipold took his turn to speak at the podium, for the topic of his offensive coordinator to come up.
Leipold, Kansas football’s head coach, was speaking Wednesday at Big 12 Conference media days in Las Vegas. He mentioned how much he appreciated the more than a decade Andy Kotelnicki, now the offensive coordinator at Penn State, spent with him across multiple stops. Leipold couldn’t fault Kotelnicki, who’s had a desire to be a head coach himself one day, for making a move that could help him grow even further.
But with that moment, also came the chance for Leipold to highlight the addition of Jeff Grimes as the team’s new offensive coordinator/assistant head coach. Grimes, who’ll be assisted by the return of co-offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski, is someone Leipold admired during Grimes’ time as the offensive coordinator at Baylor in recent years. And not only has Leipold enjoyed being able to work with Grimes, but Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels is excited about the twist Grimes is providing their offense.
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“Kansas football, we’re known for having a lot of gadget plays, a lot of shifts and motions going in,” Daniels, a redshirt junior, said during a TV appearance on ESPNU at media days. “Trust me, nothing in that nature is going to change. But, without giving too much, I’m just going to say we’re going to add a few little sprinkles of how we’re able to line up formationally and having a lot of our playmakers be able to make plays in different spots rather than just their main one.”
Daniels has more on his mind than acclimating to Kansas’ new-look offense. He’s coming back from an injury that cut his 2023 season short. But Daniels volunteered Wednesday if the Jayhawks had a game the next day he’d be fine, and said he’s made adjustments — including core work five-to-six times each week — to ensure he’ll be ready health-wise.
With a healthy Daniels, Kansas has an offense that’s capable of being one of the best in Big 12. At running back alone, there’s senior Devin Neal and redshirt junior Daniel Hishaw Jr. At wide receiver, there’s a trio of senior wide receivers in Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Lawrence Arnold, and that’s before getting into the potential at tight end and the offensive line.
Maybe there will be a period of adjustment early in the season, with Grimes at the helm offensively, and maybe there won’t. But in his interview with ESPNU, Leipold noted Grimes’ familiarity with the Big 12 and creativity offensively — especially in the running game — as two reasons the new OC fits with what the Jayhawks are trying to do on that side of the ball. Grimes also joined with a familiarity for another one of Leipold’s assistant coaches.
“Jonathan Wallace, our running backs coach, was a player at Auburn when Jeff was there,” Leipold said. “They knew each other. The three of us met in Dallas and we started talking about some things. And it was mainly, can we continue our identity and then add something to it?”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
An unprecedented tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Kansas has reached historic levels, becoming the largest recorded in U.S. history.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has reported 67 active cases since 2024, with 60 in Wyandotte County and 7 in Johnson County.
Additionally, 79 latent infections—77 in Wyandotte County and 2 in Johnson County—have been identified.
“Currently, Kansas has the largest outbreak that they’ve ever had in history,” Ashley Goss, a deputy secretary at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), told the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on January 21, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.
A KDHE spokesperson later clarified the statement, explaining that the current outbreak “is the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history.” Newsweek contacted the KDHE via email for further comment.
Amorn Suriyan/Getty
Why This Matters
TB, though treatable, remains a serious infectious disease that can lead to complications and fatalities if untreated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 13 million Americans live with inactive TB and about 10 percent of these individuals could develop active TB without treatment.
The sharp rise in TB cases—from 51 statewide in 2023 to 109 in 2024—has placed a spotlight on public health measures. Kansas health officials are actively working to contain the outbreak, partnering with the CDC to prevent further transmission.
What to Know
TB is caused by bacteria that primarily attack the lungs but can affect other parts of the body. The infection spreads through the air via coughs or speech but requires prolonged contact for transmission.
Active TB disease makes individuals sick and is infectious, while latent TB infections are dormant, non-contagious and symptom-free but can become active.
Treatment is available for both active and latent TB infections and involves a several-month regimen of antibiotics. Active TB patients are typically non-contagious after 10 days of treatment.
Wyandotte County has been the hardest hit, but health officials maintain that the general public remains at “very low risk.”
What People Are Saying
Goss told the Senate Committee: “Some of you are aware, we have and still have mobilized staff and resources addressing an unprecedented tuberculosis outbreak in one of our counties. We are working collaboratively with CDC on that. CDC remains on the ground with us to support. That’s not a negative.
“This is normal when there’s something unprecedented or a large outbreak of any kind, they will come and lend resources to us to help get a stop to that.”
What Happens Next
Kansas health officials and the CDC are continuing their collaborative response to the outbreak.
Their efforts include identifying and testing individuals who have been in close contact with TB patients and ensuring that both active and latent cases receive proper treatment.
Vaccinations for TB are available in the U.S., though they are seldom used, according to the CDC.
For now, Goss said that infections are “trending in the right direction.”
Is there a health problem that’s worrying you? Do you have a question about low blood pressure? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
Eagles defeat Commanders to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIX
The Philadelphia Eagles are heading to Super Bowl LIX after beating the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game.
Seriously Seriously
The Kansas City Chiefs are champions of the AFC. Who will they face in the 2025 Super Bowl?
Since the Eagles won the NFC championship game earlier on Sunday, they’re also headed to New Orleans in a couple of weeks to take on the Chiefs.
Super Bowl 59 will be the Chiefs’ third straight appearance in the NFL title game, a feat no other team has accomplished before. It will also be a rematch of Super Bowl 57, when the Eagles and Chiefs faced off in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Kansas City came away with the win in that one, 38-35.]
Here’s what to know:
Who will the Chiefs play in the 2025 Super Bowl?
The Chiefs will play the Eagles in Super Bowl 59.
This year’s Super Bowl is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 9 with a kickoff time of 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Fox owns the rights to broadcast this year’s Super Bowl, so football fans in the United States can turn to their local Fox affiliate to watch the Big Game. Alternatively, the game will be available to stream on the Fox Sports app and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
How many times have the Chiefs been in the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl 59 will be the Chiefs’ seventh Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and they’re 4-2 in their previous six games.
Kansas City won Super Bowls 58, 57, 54 and 4 against the 49ers, Eagles, 49ers and Vikings, respectively. They lost Super Bowl 55 to the Buccaneers and the first Super Bowl to the Packers.
Kansas State point guard Dug McDaniel is a self-proclaimed “pass-first” point guard.
That doesn’t mean he can’t score the ball. He scored a team-high 15 points in Saturday’s victory against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Afterward, he said it helps teammates Max Jones and Brendan Hausen when the point guard is aggressive.
“It definitely helps the offense when the head of the snake of being aggressive,” McDaniel said. “Putting pressure on the defense, it opens it up for guys like Max and Brendan to get easier shots because they have to respect what I’m doing.”
The victory helped the Wildcats snap a six-game losing streak. Coach Jerome Tang has made an effort to make McDaniel become a better scorer.
“Me and coach been talking the last few days,” McDaniel said. “He’s been preaching to me to be aggressive, think score first. The pass is always going to be there. I’m a pass-first point guard. That’s like second nature to me. He just wants me to be aggressive, put pressure on the defense early so I can get my guys open.”
TANG APPRECIATES THE FANS
Tang had been under fire during the losing streak, taking criticism from fans the past few weeks. The win should calm the fan base at the time being. The Wildcats (8-11 overall and 2-6) need a lot of work to improve their resume if they want an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Tang was thankful for the strong fan turnout.
“So thankful to the students, man,” Tang said. “I walked out and I saw them, my joy tank was full seeing them. They really provided great energy for us and allowed us to get off to a great start.”
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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