Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson: How LSU QB compares to Heisman winner’s 2016 Louisville season

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. 

Daniels is drawing comparisons to the final Heisman winner who performed on a workforce with three regular-season losses. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson gained the Heisman Trophy in 2016 on a Cardinals’ workforce that completed 9-3 within the common season. 

Daniels and Jackson put collectively unbelievable speeding and passing statistics in these seasons, nonetheless, and Daniels is nearer to Jackson than you may assume. 

Here is a statistical comparability of Jackson in 2016 and Daniels in 2023. 

Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson: Comparing regular-season stats

Jackson, who was Sporting News Player of the Year in 2016, totaled 5,112 complete yards – a median of 393.3 yards per sport – with Louisville in 2016. That’s extra complete yards than Daniels – who has 4,946 and leads the FBS with 412.2 yards per sport this season. 

If you’re taking Jackson’s bowl sport out that season – the place he had 179 complete yards in a 29-9 loss to LSU within the Citrus Bowl – then he had 4,933 complete yards – a median of 411.1 yards per sport – within the common season in 2016. That is a close to mirror picture to Daniels, who has not introduced whether or not he’s taking part in within the ReliaQuest Bowl towards Wisconsin. 

Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson: Who had extra touchdowns? 

Jackson captured Heisman Trophy voters’ consideration in 2016 with 51 complete TDs, together with 21 landing runs. Jackson had 4 video games with 300-plus passing yards and eight video games with 100-plus speeding yards. 

Daniels was virtually the reverse. He had eight video games with 300-plus passing yards and 4 video games with 100 or extra speeding yards. 

MORE: Breaking down the four Heisman finalists

Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson:  Who had finest single-game efficiency? 

Daniels and Jackson every had a sport with eight complete TDs. Jackson had eight TDs towards Charlotte on Sept. 1, 2016. Daniels scored eight complete touchdowns towards Georgia State on Nov. 18, 2023. 

That wasn’t their respective finest statistical video games. 

Jackson had 610 complete yards and 5 TDs in a 62-28 victory towards Syracuse on Sept. 9, 2016. Jackson had an iconic hurdle over a Syracuse defender in that sport – and he primarily took the lead within the Heisman Trophy race and by no means appeared again. 

Lamar Jackson had 483 yards and 5 TDs within the first half vs. Syracuse. Oh, and this hurdle: https://t.co/BaSbo7Xvom pic.twitter.com/2QnoVCUjTN

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 10, 2016

Daniels had 606 complete yards and 5 complete TDs in a 52-35 victory towards Florida on Nov. 11, 2023.  This vaulted Daniels into the Heisman combine with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix. 

Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson: How many video games did they lose? 

Jackson performed Deshaun Watson in a top-five showdown towards No. 3 Clemson on Oct. 1, 2016 – which the Tigers gained 42-36. The Cardinals nonetheless ascended to No. 3 within the AP Poll earlier than back-to-back losses to No. 11 Houston and Kentucky to finish the common season. Jackson averaged 265.7 passing yards and 122 speeding yards with eight complete TDs and 4 interceptions in these losses. 

LSU misplaced a top-10 showdown to No. 8 Florida State 45-24 within the season opener. The Tigers additionally misplaced to No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 8 Alabama, which knocked LSU out of SEC championship rivalry. In these three video games, Daniels averaged 326.3 passing yards, 108.7 speeding yards with 9 complete TDs and two interceptions in these losses. 

Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson: Final Heisman Trophy voting 

Jackson gained the Heisman Trophy in 2016 by a margin of 620 votes over Watson. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook completed third and fourth, respectively that season. 

Will this yr’s vote be like that? Daniels is the presumed front-runner forward of Penix Jr., Nix and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. This is an identical forged to when Jackson gained in 2016. 

Will Daniels have the identical outcome?