The Jayden Daniels era at LSU is officially over. The senior quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner announced on Friday that he will skip the ReliaQuest Bowl against vs. Wisconsin on January 1 and prepare for the NFL Draft. Daniels has been the Tigers' starter under center since transferring from Arizona State prior to the 2022 season.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen," Daniels said in a video posted on X. "All great things must come to an end. I feel better about the state of the program with the quarterback moving forward. No matter what, I promise that this won't be the last time that you see 'that kid' around because this is my city and my second home. I love you and I'm proud to be a 'California Bayou boy'. Five out."
Daniels put together a phenomenal senior season in 2023 which included 3,812 yards passing, 1,134 yards rushing and 50 total touchdowns (40 passing, 10 rushing). He accounted an SEC record 606 total yards in the win over Florida on November 11 when he became the first player in FBS history to rush for more than 200 yards (234) and pass for more than 350 yards (372) in the same game.
His record-setting 2023 season came after he burst onto the scene in 2022 leading LSU to its first SEC West championship since 2019. He threw for 2,193 yards, rushed for 885 yards and accounted for 29 touchdowns (17 passing, 11 rushing, one receiving).
With Daniels out, sophomore Garrett Nussmeier will likely start under center. Nussmeier has been with the program for three seasons and has served as the primary backup for Daniels over the last two seasons. However, Nussmeier has experience in big games against Alabama in 2023 and Georgia in the 2022 SEC Championship Game after Daniels' suffered injuries.
