Is Jalon Daniels playing tonight? Latest Kansas vs. Illinois injury update

Here is the latest on if Kansas star quarterback Jalon Daniels will play vs. Illinois on Friday night.

Although the Kansas Jayhawks won easily over the Missouri State Bears in Week 1, they will undoubtedly need star quarterback Jalon Daniels when they face the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday.

Daniels did not play in the Week 1 contest, as his backup Jason Bean filled in for him. While Bean has plenty of starting experience at the helm of the KU program, the Jayhawks go to a different level with Daniels under center running head coach Lance Leipold's offense. Given how strong Bret Bielema's Illini team is defensively, KU will need an offensive catalyst like Daniels to help get them over the top.

So is Daniels going to play for the Jayhawks on Friday night or not? Here is the latest on that front.

Jalon Daniels game status: Will Kansas QB play vs. Illinois in Week 2?

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Thursday that Daniels is expected to make his first start of the seaon for the Jayhawks. While the Kansas coaching staff has not made any big news on that front just yet, it may have been a precautionary thing last week to keep their best player out with a bad back. Could KU beat Illinois with Bean at the helm? Potentially, but Daniels is a total game-changer.

Although Kansas is every bit a basketball blue-blood, the Jayhawks have left a lot to be desired historically on the football field. While the Mark Mangino era some 15 years ago had KU football nationally relevant for the first time in decades, it had been a challenging decade-plus for the Jayhawks prior to Leipold's arrival in Lawrence. He has won everywhere, including now at Kansas.

Last season saw the Jayhawks get off to a brilliant 5-0 start. Unfortunately, Daniels got hurt mid-season, giving way to Bean in the heart of Big 12 play. While Kansas was still very competitive, the Jayhawks only achieved bowl eligibility by the skin of their teeth a season ago with a 6-6 mark. Fortunately, I think most people have the Jayhawks as a bowl-caliber team once again this season.

The winner of this game between Illinois and Kansas will be sitting pretty at 2-0 heading into Week 3.