The NCAA announced their four Heisman Trophy Finalists on Monday night, three being quarterbacks and one wide receiver.
LSU’s record-setting quarterback Jayden Daniels will be joined in New York by Oregon’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and Ohio State pass-catcher Marvin Harrison Jr.
The winner of the 89th Heisman Memorial Trophy will be announced on Saturday, December 9th at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN. The announcement will be made during a ceremony from the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Columbus Center.
Since 1935, the Heisman has been given to the nation’s most outstanding college football payer. Daniels is looking to be the second LSU quarterback to win the award in the last five years when Joe Burrow won it during the Tigers’ 2019 National Championship run. The only other winner was Billy Cannon in 1959.
Daniels is also the third “Heisman Finalist” for the Tigers. The other two were Burrow and Tyrann Mathieu during the 2011 season as the organization didn’t begin recognizing finalists until 1982. Before then, only the winner was invited to the ceremony in New York City.
This 2023 season has been one to remember for the San Bernadino, California native. Daniels is third in the nation in passing with 3,812 yards, good for 317.7 yards per game, and has tossed 40 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. He’s also been responsible for 88 plays or 20 or more yards, the most of any player in college football. The Tiger star signal-caller also ran for 1,134 yards and reached pay dirt 10 times.
Against Florida, Daniels became the first player in FBS history to rush for 200 yards and pass for 350 yards in a game when he recorded 234 yards on the ground and 372 through the air in the 52-35 victory. He led an LSU offense that racked up 701 total yards against the Gators, the most ever given up by a Florida team.
That next week versus Georgia State, Daniels tied Burrow’s school record with eight touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing) in the 56-14 win over the Panthers.
In the regular-season finale against Texas A&M, Daniels threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes and in doing so, became only the fifth player in SEC history to account for 50 TDs in a season. He joined Burrow (63), Tim Tebow (55), Cam Newton (51), and Bryce Young (50), all of whom were Heisman Trophy winners.
This year, Daniels joined former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel as the only players in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 3,500 yards in a season. Daniels, however, is the only player in FBS history to finish a career with 12,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.
Daniels, the five-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week in 2023, has directed the nation’s most explosive offense this season. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring with 46.4 points scored per game, yards per game with 547.8, yards per play at 8.5, and a third-down conversion rate of 56.7 percent.
The Tigers are the only FBS team to average 200 rushing yards (ranked 8th at 213.5) and 300 passing yards (ranked 4th at 334.3) per game and LSU is the only team to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both categories. LSU has topped the 40-point and 500-yard mark nine times this year.
Daniels, the winner of the 2023 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, is also a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp National Player of the Year honor.
LSU’s Highest Heisman Trophy Finishes (Top 10 Only)
1st – 2019 Joe Burrow, quarterback (2,608 points)
1st – 1959 Billy Cannon, halfback (1,929 points)
2nd – 1962 Jerry Stovall, halfback (618 points) – lost by 79 points
3rd – 1958 Billy Cannon, halfback (975 points)
4th – 1972 Bert Jones, quarterback (351 points)
5th – 2011 Tyrann Mathieu, safety (327 points)
5th – 1978 Charles Alexander, running back (282 points)
6th – 2015 Leonard Fournette, running Back (110 points)
9th – 2007 Glenn Dorsey, defensive tackle (30 points)
9th – 1977 Charles Alexander, running back (54 points)