STILLWATER — A little more than four years ago, Daniel Hishaw Jr. turned to his father and made a bold proclamation.

He was going to play football at Kansas.

There was just one problem: Hishaw — then a star who had just completed his junior season at Moore High School — had yet to receive a scholarship offer from the Jayhawks.

“I honestly won’t care what other team offers me,” he told his father, “because Kansas is going to be the place that I go.”

And this was not the Kansas of today.

It was the 2019 junior day. The Jayhawks had just changed coaching staffs after winning just six games in four seasons.

With recruits who would become stars such as quarterback Jalon Daniels and cornerback Cobee Bryant in attendance, Hishaw knew he wanted to join them.

Not long after, the offer came. He was going to lead a turnaround, just like he had done at his high school.

OSU 3-2-1 kickoff: Will Oklahoma State Cowboys solve their red-zone TD issues vs. Kansas?

“I could see similarities of how Moore was,” Hishaw told The Oklahoman. “It was a program that needed to be built up and I was ready to be a part of that.”

Six games into this season, Hishaw’s mission has reached a new level.

When No. 24-ranked Kansas faces Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium, the Jayhawks will be looking to become bowl eligible for a second straight season. It’s yet another sign of the turnaround under coach Lance Leipold.

“I think that’s one of the most special things I’ve really seen in my whole life,” Hishaw said. “Just seeing a complete 360 of how we operate in our building, how players’ mindsets are changing, it’s cool. It’s really cool.”

Hishaw is a big part of it all.

Coming off a second hip injury that cost him the majority of last season, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound redshirt sophomore is part of a two-headed running back machine with Devin Neal that has run all over opponents this season.

The duo leads all Power Five running back duos with 1,006 combined rushing yards. They each have six rushing touchdowns, which is tied atop the Big 12 with three others.

And Hishaw was recently named to the College football Comeback Player of the Year Watch list.

43 for 43: Oklahoma State football set to induct Terry Miller into Ring of Honor

“When he’s healthy and he’s in the lineup, man, they’re winning games,” former Moore coach Brad Hill said.

Hishaw was a catalyst at Moore High School.

He primarily played quarterback, using his speed in option plays but also growing into a solid passer. He played safety at times. And he was the unquestioned leader, leading the Lions to three straight playoff appearances after a 12-year drought.

Hishaw played through a separated shoulder and injured ankle at times. He never took a play off in practice and even encouraged his teammates to break tradition and tackle him at quarterback. If they could tackle him, they could tackle Owasso’s quarterback.

“He brought a whole toughness to our team in practices and everything,” Hill said. “That’s why I think we were part of some special wins.”

Still, college coaches weren’t sure where Hishaw fit.

Service academies mostly saw an option quarterback. Other programs viewed him as a safety. Even linebacker was tossed out as an option. OU briefly considered him at receiver. But most coaches wanted him to become a running back.

OSU pondered Hishaw in the backfield, but coaches were fearful he could not put on the weight and maintain the speed to play the position. The Cowboys never offered a scholarship.

“We missed on him,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said on Monday.

More: How Oklahoma State, Mike Boynton responded to IARP ruling on Kansas basketball

Kansas — then coached by Les Miles — did not.

Hishaw arrived in 2020 and was immediately the second-leading rusher on the team. He suffered a hip injury just ahead of the next season, ending it before it began.

Last season, he returned and scored five touchdowns in five games. But he suffered a different hip injury, again shutting him down for the year.

“Funny thing is, the first injury was just because I was so strong,” Hishaw said. “My legs were so strong I ended up tearing a joint off my leg. It overpowered it.

“The second one, the doctor said my body was just so flexible and strong that I put my body in a weird position and it tried to overpower itself and I ended up injuring myself like that. The doctor actually told me I had to stop stretching as much just so my body could stiffen up.”

Big 12 football tiers: Where does OU's Brent Venables place in coach approval ratings?

Magically, Hishaw said doctors told him his hips remain in perfect shape with no signs of breaking down from football.

“I feel great,” Hishaw said.

He believes he’s better from the injury struggles.

Hishaw appreciates every day more. He often steps back and just looks around David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and soaks in every sight and smell. He does the same on road trips.

Every football moment is a blessing.

“I’m glad I’m with the people that I’m here with,” Hishaw said.

More: Rashod Owens' versatility is key for OSU football. He needs to 'stop eating the biscuits.'

There is a different vibe around the Jayhawks these days, too.

When Hishaw first stepped onto campus without the scholarship offer, he noticed the potential. He saw another chance to be a catalyst.

“He wanted to be part of the answer,” Hill said.

Though his journey was far from the norm, Hishaw is just that.

“It means a lot just being able to prove to myself that I can come back and play, just play hard,” Hishaw said.

Jacob Unruh covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

OSU vs. Kansas

KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (FS1)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kansas football: Daniel Hishaw Jr. wanted to be part of Jayhawks success