LSU football coach Brian Kelly took a risk last spring when he decided to bring in Arizona State quarterback transfer Jayden Daniels from the portal. The Tigers already had three scholarship quarterbacks: Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howar d. Brennan had SEC starting experience. Nussmeier had a talented arm and could start in 2023 with Brennan gone. Howard was a top-40 freshman signee who could eventually push Nussmeier. But in came Daniels anyway. "I think we started with just wanting to add more competition (to the room)," Kelly said before the start of last year's spring practices. In the end, the move paid off for Kelly. Daniels won the starting job and held it for the rest of 2022. He led LSU to a 10-win season, an SEC West champions hip and the Tigers' first home win over Alabama since 2010.That success made the news of Daniels returning in 2023 an exciting one for most LSU fans. "I felt like I had unfinished business in college," Daniels said prior to LSU's Citrus Bowl win o ver Purdue. "So I wanted to come back and compete for a national championship." And Tiger fans should be excited; LSU has a Heisman Trophy candidate on its hands. Daniels, while playing under a new coaching staff, working behind a new offensive line and throwing to new weapons, was an above-average SEC quarterback in 2022. He threw for 2,913 yards, completed a career-best 68.6% of his passes and only threw three interceptions, seven fewer than in his final season at Arizona State. He was also one of the best running quarterbacks in college football. Daniels rushed for a career-high 885 yards and 11 touchdowns. He generated 4.52 yards after contact per rush attempt and forced 54 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, leading all FBS quarterbac ks with at least 70 rush attempts in both categories. - Lafayette Daily Advertiser
rSr/2024 QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
News Source: Lafayette Daily Advertiser
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