2023 Heisman Trophy winner: LSU QB Jayden Daniels claims award becoming third Tigers player to receive honor

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has received the 2023 Heisman Trophy. Daniels was introduced because the award’s recipient Saturday evening after totaling 50 touchdowns and almost 5,000 whole yards throughout a standout senior season. He edged Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Ohio State extensive receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for faculty soccer’s most prestigious particular person honor.

Daniels is the second LSU quarterback within the final 5 years to seize the Heisman as Joe Burrow claimed the award following a prolific 2019 season. Daniels is this system’s third Heisman winner general, becoming a member of Burrow and working again Billy Cannon, who introduced house the award in 1959.

Daniels’ 328-point margin over Penix was the closest since 2018 when Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray beat Tua Tagovailoa by 296 factors.

The Heisman win caps a traditionally productive last season of school soccer for Daniels, who transferred to LSU in 2022 after three seasons at Arizona State. He emerged as one of many SEC’s premier quarterbacks final season and took his recreation to hovering heights this yr whereas guiding the Tigers a 9-3 report.

Daniels totaled 3,812 yards passing with 40 touchdowns and simply 4 interceptions whereas including 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rusher. He and Johnny Manziel are the one gamers in SEC historical past to throw for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

While there are lots of arguments for what might need constituted a “Heisman moment” for Daniels, two video games stood out as constructed a case for the award. In a Nov. 11 showdown towards Florida, he turned the one player in FBS historical past to run for move for 350 yards and rush for 200 yards in a recreation as he led LSU to a 52-35 win. Daniels set a brand new SEC single-game report for whole yards with 606 within the contest. The following week, he tied a school-record with eight whole touchdowns in a win over Georgia State.

While Daniels’ 317.7 yards passing per recreation ranked barely behind fellow finalists Penix (324.5) and Nix (318.8), his passing effectivity mark of 208.0 ranked first nationally by a landslide coming into bowl season. Daniels’ working skill was additionally unmatched by Penix and Nix. Though LSU didn’t attain the SEC Championship Game, Daniels nonetheless completed the season main the nation in whole yards (4,946) by greater than 500 over Nix (4,373) and Penix (4,200), each of whom competed within the Pac-12 Championship Game. That speaks to Daniels’ effectiveness as a runner all season.

2023 Heisman Trophy voting

1. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU: 2,029 factors (503 first-place votes)
2. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington: 1,701 factors (292 first-place votes)
3. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon: 885 factors (51 first-place votes)
4. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State: 352 factors (20 first-place votes)
5. Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State: 85 factors (8 first-place votes)
6. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: 73 factors (4 first-place votes)
7. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State: 31 factors (1 first-place vote)
8. Cody Schrader, RB, Missouri: 29 factors (1 first-place vote)
9. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan: 28 factors (3 first-place votes)
10. J.J. McCrathy, QB, Michigan: 21 factors (1 first-place vote)

LSU’s equally dominant winners

Saturday evening’s victory additional solidifies LSU as a vacation spot for premier quarterbacks after Burrow set a historic tone in 2019 that Daniels emulated. Both gamers transferred into LSU following three seasons at one other Power Five faculty and took enormous strides of their second and last seasons beginning for the Tigers.

Burrow set an FBS report with 60 touchdowns passing in 2019 whereas guiding LSU to a 15-0 report and College Football Playoff National Championship. His 202.0 passer effectivity ranking marked an FBS report on the time, although it was bested by Mac Jones of Alabama and Grayson McCall of Coastal Carolina in subsequent seasons. Now, it is Daniels who’s in line to end with the single-season report for passing effectivity, pending his determination whether or not to swimsuit up for the ReliaQuest Bowl towards Wisconsin on Jan. 1.

Burrow and Daniels differed considerably of their types, performed for various coaches and did not expertise comparable ranges of staff success; nevertheless, heading into the Heisman ceremony, their staggering ranges of statistical manufacturing bore apparent similarities. At the time of the award in 2019, Burrow had accounted for 51 whole touchdowns and 5,004 yards. Entering Saturday evening’s ceremony, Daniels stood at 4,946 yards and 50 touchdowns, regardless of having performed one fewer recreation.

A quarterback award

During a three-year stretch from 1997-99, three non-quarterbacks received the Heisman as Michigan defensive again Charles Woodson, Texas working again Ricky Williams and Wisconsin working again Ron Dayne took house the stiff-arm trophy. But the award has been dominated by quarterbacks within the twenty first century with Daniels becoming the twentieth quarterback to win the Heisman within the 2000s and the sixth up to now seven years. 

Still, the previous two seasons have dispelled the notion that Heisman is merely a “team award” granted to the very best player on the highest staff. Of the 4 finalists, solely Penix is enjoying within the College Football Playoff, and Daniels’ victory comes a yr after USC quarterback Caleb Williams equally received the Heisman with out showing showing within the CFP.