Congratulations to Jayden Daniels on his Heisman victory. He and LSU’s terrible defense were the reasons the Bayou Bengals were so fun to watch this season. As was the case in 2022-23, the winner of college football’s most prestigious award came with bad coaching, bad defense, or both.
Daniels had 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards this season, but he went 9-3 because Brian Kelly is allergic to balanced football teams. The same goes for Lincoln Riley, whose Caleb Williams-led Trojans finished 11-3 a year ago despite the future No. 1 overall pick amassing 52 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards in his sophomore campaign .
We already saw a similar pattern when Lamar Jackson surpassed the 5,000 yard mark (along with the 50 TD threshold)‚ and took home the hardware for a Louisville team that finished 9-4. The point is, I don’t disagree with Daniels, Williams, or Jackson winning in those years, and to be honest, I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t recognize the formula sooner. Not only would early detection have given me the confidence to pre-write this article, but also to place a rare (at least for me) bet.
Obviously, in hindsight, Heisman winners are easy to spot, but the next time a Power-Five QB (or Four) reaches 50 TDs and is in the 5,000-yard range, put me $20. The other factor that worked in Daniels’ favor was the vanilla nature of this season.
Overall, there weren’t many stellar upsets this year – hence the chalk-filled CFP bracket – but LSU-Ole Miss was drunk even by Louisiana standards, and was as close to a Heisman* moment that I can identify. Daniels did his best Robert Griffin III impression en route to 513 total offensive yards and five touchdowns.
With LSU losing 55-49, the final heave hit Tiger’s fingertips and established a theme for the season. The Tigers’ schedule and defense were helpful enough to keep Daniels around, and he delivered even in defeat.
He topped 400 yards against Florida State and had 163 rushing against Alabama, edging Jordan Travis and Jalen Milroe in total yards, respectively. Daniels has not only transformed into a first-round lock, but also into receiver Malik Nabers and perhaps Brian Thomas Jr. as well. Both pass catchers have posted stats equal to or better than Heisman finalist Marvin Harrison Jr., and Daniels’ maturation as a passer is one of the main reasons the two LSU receivers combined for 31 TD catches.
This year’s QB class is difficult to judge because I don’t know if Michael Penix and Bo Nix are good, or if they were too great athletes to stay in college that long and not understand the position. Daniels is in the same boat, which might explain why scouts don’t view him as the second-best prospect in the draft.
To me, I feel like each of these QBs finally fulfilled the potential that fans and coaches saw in them since high school. I don’t know if they will succeed at the next level, but they are as prepared as they can be. Neither is an Anthony Richardson type project, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Penix, Nix or Daniels develop into a franchise player fairly quickly.
All I know is that if the team I support chose Drake Maye over 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, I would whip everything in my hand – phone, remote, beer – through the room.
*Daniels struck the Heisman pose in a 600-yard, five-score outing against Florida, but that game was a blowout and the Gators didn’t make a bowl game.
