"That Kid Jayden"
Jayden Daniels
QB | RS Senior | Louisiana State University
Senior quarterback Jayden Daniels became Louisiana State University’s third Heisman winner when he was announced as the 89th winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy following a 2023 senior season in which he also won the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Awards.
The 6-foot-4 Daniels, who transferred to LSU ahead of the 2022 season from Arizona State, completed 236-of-327 passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also rushing for 1,134 yards and another 10 scores, leading the Tigers to a 9-3 regular season.
Daniels joins 2019 winner Joe Burrow and 1959 winner Billy Cannon among Tigers to hoist the bronze statue. He also became the 20th quarterback in the last 23 years to win the award and the 39th quarterback overall.
Daniels prepped at Cajon High in his hometown of San Bernardino, Calif., before going to ASU, where he started 29 times between 2019 and 2021. As a Sun Devil, he threw for 6,024 yards and 32 touchdowns while he rushed for 1,288 yards and 13 another 13 scores.
He moved from Tempe, Ariz., to Baton Rouge, La., in 2022 to play for the Tigers. He started 14 games for the Tigers in 2022, throwing for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushing for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Daniels’ game took off in 2023. He led the nation in total offense (4,946) in the regular season as well as in TDs responsible for (50), passer rating (208.0), yards per pass attempt (11.7) and rushing yards by a quarterback (1,134) while his 40 TD passes were tied for first.
He became the first player in FBS history to rush for 200 yards and pass for 350 yards in a game when he did it against Florida on Nov. 11, collecting 372 yards through the air and 234 on the ground. The 606 total yards broke the SEC record. Daniels, the 2023 Johnny Unitas Award winner, joined Heisman winner Johnny Manziel as the only other player in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season and is the eighth player to do it overall.
Daniels’ passer rating of 208.01 is a Heisman best and his 4,946 total yards is tied for the third-most by a Heisman winner, matching 2018 winner Kyler Murray’s total. His 50 total touchdowns are the seventh most in Heisman history and his 3,812 passing yards is 12th most.
Daniels was taken second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders, drafted one spot behind fellow Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
