LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels is your 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, and while he didn’t forget to thank everyone who supported him, he also made sure to fire back at his doubters.
After winning the Heisman in a ceremony in New York on Saturday, Daniels delivered a powerful speech as he expressed his disbelief that he won the highest individual honor in college football. He called the achievement a “dream come true” and proceeded to thank God and everyone who was part of his journey, from his family, offensive line, LSU Tigers teammates and coaches, as well as Arizona State where he played for three years before transferring prior to the 2022 campaign.
What stood out in his speech, however, was his advice to those who has a dream like his. Daniels recalled all the criticisms he received while looking to establish himself as one of the top young QBs in the sport before revealing what he learned from it.
“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,” Jayden Daniels shared, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated.
“So what did I learn from all this? I learned to block out the noise, that you can avoid any obstacle, and just be humble, be legendary and most importantly, be joyful about what you do. When you get knocked down, get back up, keep smiling, and never give up on your dreams.”
A Dream Come True. It’s through faith and hard work.
Heisman Winner @JayD__5 pic.twitter.com/GSflVj0icw
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 10, 2023
Jayden Daniels’ Heisman Votes
Jayden Daniels beat the likes of Michael Penix Jr. (Washington Huskies), Bo Nix (Oregon Ducks) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State Buckeyes) for the Heisman. While it is labeled as the closest voting since 2018 when Kyler Murray beat Tua Tagovailoa by 296 points, it still wasn’t really that close.
Daniels garnered 503 first place votes en route to 2029 points, whole Penix Jr. got 292 first-place votes on his way to 1,701 points. Nix (885) and Harrison Jr. (353) both got below 1000 points.
Sure enough, Daniels deserved the Heisman. The voters see it that way as well, and for good reason. The LSU Tigers finished 9-3 on the season, with Daniels tallying an insane 40 touchdowns on just four interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes.
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