From a young star, to mid-career struggles, to the pinnacle of personal college football achievements—the prestigious Heisman Trophy—Jayden Daniels’ football career has been full of twists and turns so far.
Daniels was highly recruited out of Cajon High School, where he threw for nearly 10,000 yards and 122 touchdowns in his final two seasons as a starter. What truly set the PROLOOK athlete apart wasn’t his passing ability, but his running ability. In addition to his production through the air, the dual-threat quarterback amassed nearly 3,000 yards on the ground, rushing for an additional 31 touchdowns. These accomplishments earned him the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and San Bernandino Sun Player of the Year awards, while elevating him to the number one ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country according to 247Sports. The wiry, 6’3”, 175-pound star received offers from 25 schools, eventually committing to the Arizona State Sun Devils.
During his freshman year at Arizona State, Daniels emerged as a bright young star in college football as he threw for 17 touchdowns, with an additional three touchdowns on the ground, while only turning the ball over twice through the air. After helping the Sun Devils to an 8-5 record behind his impressive numbers, the expectations for Daniels and Arizona State were high going into the 2020 season, as they were picked to finish third in the Pac-12. In a season greatly shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniels played in just four games, putting up nine total touchdowns to just one interception, as the Sun Devils finished just 2-2. Following the short season, Daniels and the Sun Devils looked to rebound in 2021. They got off to a hot start at 2-0 and climbed up to number 19 in the AP Poll. The year would prove to be Daniels’ worst, however, as he finished the year with just 10 touchdowns and a career-worst 10 interceptions, leading Arizona State to a modest 8-5 record.
Following the difficult season, Daniels transferred to LSU to play for newly hired coach Brian Kelly. The fresh start proved to be just what Daniels needed, as he finished with 28 total touchdowns—17 passing and 11 rushing—threw just three interceptions, and helped LSU to the SEC title game in 2022. While Daniels enjoyed his most successful season to date that season, it would pale in comparison to his 2023 campaign. Opting to use his extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 season, the 2023 Heisman winner returned to the Tigers for a historic senior season, throwing for 40 touchdowns and rushing for 10 more, while tossing only four interceptions. He reached these numbers with extreme efficiency, gaining an otherworldly 10.71 yards per play and one touchdown per 6 completions. These absurd stats gave him the best single-season quarterback rating of all time at 208, and earned him a slew of awards, including the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Awards, and the Heisman Trophy.
“I want to dedicate this award to every boy or girl who has a dream. With faith and hard work, you never know what’s possible. They said I was too skinny, so I added weight. They said I relied on my legs a little bit too much, so you know what? I went to work. I completed all those passes and had the season I had…they said I was too quiet, so I became more vocal and stepped out of my comfort zone, and now I’m here today,” said Daniels in his Heisman acceptance speech.
While the path has not always been smooth, Jayden Daniels has gone from a highly-touted high school recruit to the Heisman trophy winner, finding success through his arm and legs. The athletic, dual-threat quarterback looks to build off his historic Heisman campaign going into the 2024 NFL draft, where he projects to be one of the top quarterbacks taken.
