BATON ROUGE, L. a.. — LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is The Related Press school soccer participant of the future, the college’s 2d winner within the occasion 5 seasons.
Daniels won 35 of the 51 first-place votes and 130 general issues from AP Supremacy 25 ballot electorate. The Heisman Trophy finalist completed very easily forward of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who used to be 2d with 15 first-place votes and 97 issues.
Oregon QB Bo Nix used to be 3rd, with Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth and Oklahoma State working again Ollie Gordon II 5th. Nix won the alternative first-place vote. USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 AP Participant of the Generation and extreme future’s Heisman winner, didn’t obtain votes this season.
Daniels, Penix, Nix and Harrison are the finalists for the Heisman, which might be offered in Fresh York on Saturday. The winner of the AP award has differed from the Heisman winner simply two times within the occasion 20 years.
The extreme LSU participant to be named AP Participant of the Generation used to be Joe Burrow in 2019, when he additionally gained the Heisman.
Daniels, a San Bernardino, California, local who transferred to LSU from Arizona State in 2022, has led the country in general offense this season with 4,946 yards in 12 video games (412.2 yards in keeping with recreation). He has handed for three,812 yards, which ranks 3rd nationally. His 40 TDs passing ties for first nationally with Nix, who has performed in yet another recreation than Daniels.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Daniels in a bind for 1,134 yards and 10 TDs. His 50 touchdowns speeding and passing blended, in conjunction with a 2-point conversion on a passing play games, has made him accountable for a nation-high 302 issues.
As a early life athlete, his nickname used to be “Smooth,” he mentioned in an interview with The Related Press, “because it looks like I’m not running fast or running hard … but I’m moving faster than what most people think.”
As fertile as Daniels has been as a passer, his elusiveness and breakaway pace as a scrambler have prominent him. Throughout a 52-35 victory over Florida, Daniels was the primary Soccer Bowl Subdivision QB to cross for greater than 350 yards and sprint for greater than 200 in a recreation.
“His ability to run when things are not there is unique,” LSU educator Brian Kelly mentioned. “His speed, his durability, his toughness, puts him up there with the great ones.”
Daniels in a bind for touchdowns of 85 and 51 yards in opposition to Florida, and mentioned the terminating exemplified his instinctive strategy to scrambling. He mentioned he learn a linebacker’s visions ahead of darting in the back of him and upcoming weaving his strategy to the tip zone.
“It’s just all instincts,” Daniels mentioned. “It’s not something that I think about pre-snap.”
His way comes with possibility and places a top class on toughness.
A heavy and arguably past due crash at Missouri in brief pressured Daniels out of that recreation with a deep bruise in his ribs. He returned to supremacy LSU to a comeback victory, highlighted via his 35-yard scoring run. The rib trauma him for 2 extra video games.
“My pain tolerance is high,” Daniels mentioned. “I was able to go out there and deal with it.”
LSU (9-3) used to be knocked out of competition for an SEC name when it misplaced to Alabama, a recreation by which Daniels spent many of the fourth quarter at the sideline with concussion signs next a penalized crash via linebacker Dallas Turner. Till that time, Alabama’s protection had struggled to comprise Daniels.
“That still burns me,” Daniels mentioned. “Obviously, we lost to a very good team, but I felt like it would have been a whole different story if I was in there.”
Daniels mentioned it’s notable to him to credit score his crew’s position in anyone accolades he receives, from the offensive order to the working backs and his pass-catchers.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be in a position like this where I was receiving any type of award,” Daniels mentioned. “That’s my thing, is to make sure they feel a part of it.”
