Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels
refer to caption
Daniels with the LSU Tigers in 2023
Washington Commanders
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (2000-12-18) December 18, 2000 (age 23)
San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Cajon (San Bernardino)
College:
NFL draft:2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Roster status:Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Jayden Daniels (born December 18, 2000) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils for three seasons before transferring to the LSU Tigers in 2022. He won the Heisman Trophy and several other awards in 2023 after passing for 40 touchdowns and 3,800+ yards while rushing for 10 touchdowns and 1,100+ yards. Daniels was selected second overall by the Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life and high school[edit]

Daniels was born on December 18, 2000, in San Bernardino, California.[1][2] He began playing football at age five and also grew up playing basketball, soccer, and running track.[1] He attended Cajon High School from 2015 to 2019 and started all four seasons at quarterback, throwing for 14,007 yards and 170 touchdowns, both CIF Southern Section records, while rushing for 3,635 yards and 41 touchdowns.[3] As a senior, Daniels was named the men's recipient of the Ken Hubbs Award, given annually the top high school athletes in the greater San Bernardino area, following a Citrus Belt League championship and state finals appearance in 2018.[3] A four-star recruit in the 2019 class, he was ranked second nationally as a dual-threat quarterback and was invited to play in the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, where he passed for two touchdowns.[3][4] Daniels graduated early in January 2019 and enrolled at Arizona State University to play college football for the Sun Devils.[5]

College career[edit]

Arizona State (2019–2021)[edit]

Daniels with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2019

Recruited by Arizona State assistant coach Antonio Pierce, Daniels was the first freshman Sun Devils quarterback to start.[6][7] He was named the Pac-12's Offensive Player of the Week in an upset win against Oregon.[8][9] Daniels was an honorable mention for the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.[10] He led Arizona State to a 20–14 victory at the 2019 Sun Bowl and was named its MVP.[11]

Arizona State only played four games in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Daniels leading the team to a 8–5 record in 2021 while throwing 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.[12] In June 2021, the NCAA announced that Arizona State was under investigation for violating recruiting guidelines set during the pandemic, with them later finding Daniels' mother had booked more than $1,100 in flights for staff to visit recruits.[13][14]

LSU (2022–2023)[edit]

Daniels was the first player in FBS history to record at least 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game, doing so against the Florida Gators in 2023.

In March 2022, Daniels transferred to Louisiana State University to play for the LSU Tigers.[15] He was the recipient of the team's Charles McClendon MVP Award in 2022 after recording 3,592 yards of total offense, the third-highest in school history.[16] In 2023, Daniels became the first player in FBS history to record at least 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in the same game, doing so against the Florida Gators.[17] He recorded eight total touchdowns against the Georgia State Panthers a few weeks later.[18] Daniels would win the Heisman Trophy for the season, becoming the third LSU player to win it behind Billy Cannon (1959) and Joe Burrow (2019).[19] Additional awards and honors won included the Walter Camp Award,[20] AP College Football Player of the Year,[21] SN Player of the Year,[22] Davey O'Brien Award,[23] Manning Award,[24] and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.[25] He used custom virtual reality headset software as part of his training during the season and attributed it to help him make quicker decisions.[26] Daniels opted out of the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl and declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[27] He was the first player in college football history to have career totals of 12,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing.[28]

Statistics[edit]

See also: LSU Tigers football statistical leaders
College statistics
Year School Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2019 Arizona State 12 12 8–4 205 338 60.7 2,943 8.7 17 2 149.2 125 355 2.8 3
2020 4 4 2–2 49 84 58.3 701 8.3 5 1 145.7 33 223 6.8 4
2021 13 13 8–5 197 301 65.4 2,381 7.9 10 10 136.2 138 710 5.1 6
2022 LSU 14 14 10–4 266 388 68.6 2,913 7.5 17 3 144.5 186 885 4.8 11
2023 12 12 9–3 236 327 72.2 3,812 11.7 40 4 208.0 135 1,134 8.4 10
Career 55 55 37–18 953 1,438 66.3 12,750 8.9 89 20 158.4 617 3,307 5.4 34

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 3+5⁄8 in
(1.92 m) 		210 lb
(95 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)
Values from LSU's Pro Day[29][30]

Daniels was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Daniels' father Javon was a college football cornerback at Washington and Iowa State.[1] He is a Christian.[32] Daniels holds an undergraduate degree from Arizona State and pursued a Master of Liberal Arts degree at LSU.[33][34]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 6. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Gardner, Michelle (December 18, 2019). "Arizona State football: Jayden Daniels celebrates birthday and addition of receivers". Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Murphy, John (May 21, 2019). "Cajon's Daniels, Grand Terrace's Flores win Ken Hubbs awards". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Karpman, Chris (August 30, 2019). "Oklahoma-bound Spencer Rattler top-rated QB by 247Sports, Arizona State-bound Jayden Daniels No. 2". 247sports.com.
  5. ^ Gardner, Michelle (May 21, 2019). "Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels wins a top high school award". Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Tafur, Vic (March 1, 2024). "Jayden Daniels enjoys 'surreal' combine reunion with Raiders coach Antonio Pierce". The Athletic. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Harris, Jack (August 30, 2019). "True freshman Jayden Daniels wins QB job for Sun Devils". 247sports.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Gardner, Michelle (August 13, 2019). "True freshman Jayden Daniels named starting quarterback at Arizona State". USA Today. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Layman, Matt (November 25, 2019). "ASU's Jayden Daniels earns 2 Pac-12 honors after win over Oregon". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Anderson, Jake (January 4, 2020). "By the numbers: Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels' freshman season". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Bloomquist, Bret (December 31, 2019). "ASU quarterback Daniels wins Sun Bowl MVP award". El Paso Times. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Haller, Doug. "Jayden Daniels, NFL losses and lowered expectations: 10 Arizona State football predictions for 2022". The Athletic.
  13. ^ Thamel, Pete (June 24, 2021). "Dossier reveals extent of NCAA allegations against Arizona State football". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Heim, Mark (April 23, 2024). "Jayden Daniels' mom provided impermissible benefits at Arizona State; Herm Edwards gets show-cause". AL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Druin, Donnie (April 16, 2022). "Daniels Explains Transfer to LSU: Why He Left Arizona State". SI.com. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "Daniels Named Football MVP at Annual Awards Show". LSU Sports. December 12, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Olson, Eric (November 13, 2023). "LSU's Jayden Daniels only FBS quarterback to pass for 350 and run for 200 in single game". AP News. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "Daniels Scores 8 TD's in 56-14 Win Over Georgia State". lsusports.net. November 18, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Cobb, David (December 9, 2023). "2023 Heisman Trophy winner: LSU QB Jayden Daniels claims award becoming third Tigers player to receive honor". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Aldam, Will. "LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels named 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year". CT Insider. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Martel, Brett (December 7, 2023). "Daniels Wins LSU's Second 'AP Player of the Year' Award". LSU Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  22. ^ Nettuno, Tyler (December 14, 2023). "Jayden Daniels named Sporting News Player of the Year". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  23. ^ Salerno, Cameron (December 9, 2023). "College football award winners 2023: LSU QB Jayden Daniels wins Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien awards". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  24. ^ Ted, Lewis (March 28, 2024). "Jayden Daniels' whirlwind tour ends in New Orleans with one final award: 'I am very blessed'". The Advocate. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  25. ^ "Jayden Daniels wins the 2023 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award". Golden Arm Foundation. November 30, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  26. ^ Lewis, Alec. "The German VR 'flight simulator' behind LSU QB Jayden Daniels' Heisman-caliber 2023 season". The Athletic. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  27. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (December 18, 2023). "LSU's Jayden Daniels to enter NFL draft, skip bowl game". ESPN. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  28. ^ "Jayden Daniels is the first player ever to achieve these passing and rushing milestones". NOLA.com. November 11, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  29. ^ "2024 NFL Draft: What We Learned from LSU's pro day". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  30. ^ "2024 LSU Football Pro Day". LSUSports.net. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  31. ^ Keim, John (April 25, 2024). "Jayden Daniels to Commanders with No. 2 pick in NFL draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  32. ^ Palin, Julia (November 25, 2023). "IN FOCUS: Jayden Daniels Has 'The Heart of a Champion'". lsusports.net. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  33. ^ Gardner, Michelle. "Former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels headed to LSU". Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  34. ^ "August 2022 CCACSA Student-Athletes of the Month". LSU Sports. August 4, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2024.

External links[edit]

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