You've probably heard about Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels inviting several KU wide receivers to California this offseason for a little training and bonding session in his home state.
It probably even made you smile.
After all, even with some of last year’s receivers being among Daniels’ best friends, the chemistry between them in the early going of 2024 was a little off and that led to a 1-5 start and the derailing of a season full of high hopes.
So, now that we’ve reached the midway point of preseason camp, it felt like a good time to check in on how that chemistry looks, how strongly it developed and what it might mean for the season ahead.
Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson Jr., who is in contention to be the Jayhawks’ top receiving option this season, actually made two trips to the west coast with Daniels this offseason.
And he said on Monday that he believes a lot of the connections that were built out there have transferred back to Lawrence.
“The chemistry with him and the whole room has been going great,” Henderson said Monday.
So much of that is a mental thing — knowing where to be, when the ball will be thrown, how to adjust a route and where certain players prefer to catch certain throws. But Henderson said there also are ways to track the QB-receiver chemistry that continues to grow stronger each day.
“There’s evidence of it,” he said. “Film will tell you everything you need to know about it. But, in the room, with us just talking to each other, it’s going great.”
“We’re supposed to make our QB look perfect. So, anytime a play doesn’t go right, we can’t say it was on the QB. We have to make that right.”
— Senior wideout Emmanuel Henderson Jr.
KU receivers coach Terry Samuel, who now is in his fourth season with the program, said on Monday that he has talked directly with Daniels about this topic.
The gist of the conversations between the two has centered on the times from Samuel’s past when he felt his wide receivers and their quarterback were in lockstep on each snap, in practices and on game day.
“I felt those quarterbacks,” Samuel said, noting that a certain amount of freedom and trust has been put in Daniels’ hands with this largely new receiving corps. “And I need to feel him in practice. Don’t be afraid to talk to those wideouts and get on the wideouts. Hey, if you see it and you don’t like it, talk and it’s OK. Those are those moments that (make) quarterback and wide receiver relationships better.”
“I want him to be heard in that room,” Samuel added.
Asked on Monday if Daniels had been responsive to the challenge of making an impact on the receiving corps this offseason, Samuel said simply, “Oh yeah,” adding that Daniels has taken ownership of bringing the large number of newcomers in the room up to speed on what he expects and how the KU offense rolls.
“The first couple years, I don’t know if he knew exactly what that meant,” Samuel said. “But I think this year he knows. Hey, let it loose.”
The receivers appear to have taken to it well, too, with Henderson going as far as to say that, at this point, executing with high-quality chemistry is on their shoulders.
“We’re supposed to make our QB look perfect,” Henderson said Monday. “So, anytime a play doesn’t go right, we can’t say it was on the QB. We have to make that right.”
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