The 2023 college football season has nearly come to an end. With the regular season concluded, it is time to recognize the best player in the country with the Heisman Trophy. Find out who this year’s winner is below.
LSU Tigers QB Jayden Daniels Wins Heisman Trophy
This year, it is LSU Tigers QB Jayden Daniels who is taking home the honors. He was one of four finalists for the award and put up outstanding numbers to secure it over his competition. Just how good were Daniels’ numbers?
Daniels had an unbelievable touchdown to interception ratio. He had 40 touchdown passes and just four interceptions respectively. On top of this, Daniels had 3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, and a 72.2 completion percentage.
While the LSU Tigers failed to make the playoffs, they still had a notable season. The team had a 9-3 record and was #13 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
Jayden Daniels’ College Football Career
Believe it or not, Daniels was not always with the LSU Tigers. He started his college football career with the Arizona State Sun Devils. That lasted for three seasons before transferring to LSU.
He has played for LSU since 2022. However, Daniels’ 2023 season was his most notable.
For starters, Daniels had more than double the touchdown passes this season than any other in his college football career. This was also the first college football season he threw over 3,000 passing yards and had a completion percentage over 70. On top of this, he eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his college football career. All of this could help build Daniels’ case to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Other Heisman Trophy Finalists
Daniels had some tough competition to beat out for the award. This included QB Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies, QB Bo Nix of the Oregon Ducks, and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Penix wore a jacket to the ceremony with the names of every player and coach on his team inside. He will need that team mentality for the College Football Playoff game against the Texas Longhorns. As for the other two finalists, they put up very respectable individual seasons despite their teams falling just short of the College Football Playoff.
Heisman Trophy History
This marks the third straight year that a quarterback has won the award. It is also the seventh time in the last eight years. However, Daniels is not the only LSU quarterback to win it in this stretch.
He joins a legendary name in Joe Burrow. Unfortunately, he will not be able to follow Burrow’s footsteps and win a national championship this season.
Believe it or not, Daniels is joining rare company in LSU Tigers history. Before Burrow and Daniels, it was rare for someone from LSU to win the award. This is only the third time it has ever happened. The first Heisman Trophy winner from LSU was RB Billy Cannon in 1959.
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