Jayden Daniels deserves the Heisman Trophy - Here's why
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels deserves to win the Heisman Trophy.
The reason is quite simple - he’s the most outstanding player in college football and it’s not particularly close. Why am I so convinced of this? Buckle in, this is going to be an elaborate and wild ride.
His team has lost three games in which LSU’s defense gave up 42, 45 and 55 points, but his performance this year has been nothing short of remarkable. LSU’s defense has been abysmal this year ranking 101st in the country giving up more than 400 yards a game yet Daniels has led LSU to a 9-3 record with a chance to win ten games and finish inside the top-10.
Despite playing the second-toughest schedule in the country, Daniels leads the FBS in total yards by nearly 900 yards.
Daniels has completed 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
He’s arguably the best passer in college football being within a hundred yards of having the most passing yards in the country and leading the FBS in passing touchdowns, QBR and passer rating. His 208.01 passer rating currently stands as the highest mark in FBS history.
Oh, and I forgot to mention - he's also a 1,100-yard rusher, leading the country in yards per carry at 8.4 - nearly a full yard higher than the next-best YPC mark. His 1,134 yards is the most of any quarterback in the nation by a wide margin.
That puts him at 4,946 total yards and 50 total touchdowns this year. It’s a stat line no one comes close to.
The next closest player is Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with 4,065 total yards and 43 total touchdowns. Meaning Daniels leads those categories by a whopping 18% and 14% respectively. And keep in mind, Nix put those numbers up against the 15th toughest schedule compared to Daniels with the second toughest.
When it comes to the metrics Daniels, who leads the nation’s top-ranked offense, is in a league of his own.
But here’s the thing about statistics - most of the time when they appear impressive on the surface level become less impressive as context gets added. We see the opposite as we dissect Daniels’ performance this year.
Daniels is the 5th player in SEC history to record a 50-touchdown season. The other four - Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Bryce Young and Joe Burrow - all won the Heisman Trophy. Suffice to say this is quite an impressive club to join while having played such a tough schedule and before playing any post-season games.
His 412 yards per game is more than any Heisman winner since 2009.
He didn’t join this club by fluffing his stats either. He earned this spot with big plays against top competition.
Daniels has 90 plays of 20 or more yards this year. That’s the highest mark in the last ten years. It’s also more than any other team in the country.
That’s right, Jayden Daniels has more big plays by himself than any team in the country.
In fact, 62.9% of Daniels’ plays this year have gone for first downs. Much higher than his primary competitors for the Heisman, Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., at 53% and 49% respectively.
If you’re one of the many people accusing LSU of padding these stats against weaker teams, think again. LSU has 78 plays of 20 or more yards against Power 5 teams. The next best mark is West Virginia at 60.
You might think with three losses and LSU being out of the playoff picture, Daniels struggled against tougher teams. However, the fact of the matter is when the lights were brightest Daniels continued to shine while LSU’s historically awful defense let him down.
Against the four top-12 teams he’s played on the road this season he accounted for 1,694 yards and 13 touchdowns with just two interceptions in four games. That’s 423.5 yards per game, which is actually higher than his average of 412 yards per game. It’s also 24 percent higher than the next best player (UNC QB Drake Maye and Nix at 338 yards per game).
Because of these losses, many naysayers have tried to claim that Daniels simply can’t win a big game. But, LSU’s ten-point win at Missouri has proven to be one of the best wins of the year as Missouri has worked its way up to No. 9 in the AP Poll and a 10-2 record.
Ultimately, the Heisman trophy goes to the most outstanding player in the country - not the best team. In fact, 11 players have won the award from a team with three losses in the regular season including Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin III and Tim Tebow.
If Daniels’ 355 yards and four touchdowns in 48 plays against Texas A&M’s eighth-ranked defense this weekend wasn’t enough to convince you how well he’s done against top competition consider this:
LSU played against seven teams with top-50 defenses. Daniels had 350 or more yards against every one of those defenses averaging 464 yards per game.
Those are defenses that rank in the top 50 despite having played against LSU’s top-raked offense and withstanding Danels’ 464 yards.
Notably, the aforementioned 355 yards against Texas A&M is considered a “down game” for Daniels. But that mark would actually still be the highest yards per game in the country by a significant margin.
That’s just how absurd the conversation has become. Daniels’ low points are still better than the rest of the country.
This season Jayden Daniels set the bar of excellence. He’s made the best plays, against the toughest competition all season long. If LSU’s had a defense that was even approaching average, the Tigers would be undefeated and this conversation would be laughable.
So, if all of this isn’t enough to convince Heisman voters Daniels is the most outstanding player in college football, it says more about them than Daniels.
I rest my case.
