LAWRENCE — As quarterback Cole Ballard approaches his redshirt freshman season with Kansas football, there are areas in which his head coach thinks he can improve.

Speaking last week at Big 12 Conference media days in Las Vegas, Lance Leipold indicated Ballard needs to continue to develop an understanding on when and when not to take chances. Leipold pointed back to the Kansas State game last year, when injuries forced Ballard into a starting role. Although Ballard nearly helped KU to a win, Leipold mentioned there were times Ballard tried to make plays that weren’t there.

But while Ballard still has that room for growth, his emergence after arriving as a walk-on continues to draw praise from Leipold. It’s about more than just how Ballard, who was later put on scholarship, has studied the offense and devoted himself to the Jayhawks’ strength and conditioning program. It’s about how Ballard is viewed by his teammates.

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“Cole Ballard was accepted by the locker room as quick as any quarterback I’d ever been a part of as a freshman,” Leipold said, “the way that he had instant respect from some of the guys.”

With Jason Bean starting a professional career, Ballard is in line to be the backup to redshirt junior Jalon Daniels. Daniels is aiming to get through the 2024 season healthy, but in both 2022 and 2023 he missed time. Bean’s ability to step up helped ensure Kansas made back-to-back bowl games for the first time in more than a decade.

Ballard appeared in four games last season, throwing for 286 total yards and a touchdown while completing 55.6% of his passes. He did throw three interceptions, two of those in that 31-27 loss vs. Kansas State. But in that game, he also threw for 162 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 55 yards.

However much Ballard ends up playing this year, he can also help guide freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall through his first year at KU. It helps that Marshall enrolled early, but Ballard brings game experience to the table, and that’s something Marshall – a 247Sports Composite three-star prospect – doesn’t have yet.

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.