LSU has struck Heisman gold for the second time in four years. Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels is the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner as announced Saturday night in New York. He is the second LSU quarterback to take home the award in the last four years, following Joe Burrow in 2019.
Daniels beat out Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.
Winning the award for college football’s “Most Outstanding” player comes on the heels of a big night Friday for Daniels. He won the Davey O’Brien Award for the best quarterback in the country. He also was named the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year. Earlier in the day he was named the AP Player of the Year.
Two Schools; Different Careers
Daniels transferred in 2022 after three years at Arizona State. In his time in Tempe, he was considered primarily a running quarterback who could throw. In Baton Rouge, his game has been totally transformed into a quarterback with a big arm, who can also run.
He was a 72% passer this season with 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. His 6,725 passing yards over two years at LSU is more than he had in three years at Arizona State.
Daniels was tied for first in the country in touchdown passes with Nix at 40. He was third in total yards in the country, behind Penix and Nix. The latter two both played one more game than Daniels, having met in the Pac-12 championship game. He was also third in passing yards per game with 317. Daniels also had 135 carries for 1,134 yards rushing.
He led LSU to a combined 19-7 record in his two years for the Tigers. They are 9-3 this season and headed for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin. He has yet to announce whether he will play in the bowl game. If he opts out, he would be the first Heisman winner in history to opt out of the postseason game.
