Brian Kelly breaks down recruitment of Jayden Daniels to LSU

New LSU head coach Brian Kelly kicked off his tenure with one of the best transfer pickups of the offseason in former Arizona State starter Jayden Daniels. As Daniels begins his quest to claim the starting job for the Tigers, Kelly described how he landed the former four-star prospect.

“Once Jayden had made his decision to go into the portal, there are discussions,” Kelly said. “We’re looking at the portal like the free agency board. Does he fit our culture? Does he fit the offense? There are internal discussions in those first couple days. Contact was made and it was up to us whether we were going to reciprocate, and obviously, we did.

“He brings more than extending plays. We think there’s a lot that has not been tapped into for his ability to be a dual-threat quarterback. He’s got arm talent, high IQ and he’s a talented runner of the football. We think there’s much more to it.”

Daniels was the first true freshman starting quarterback in the history of Arizona State, throwing for 2,943 yards, 17 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He is a threat on the ground as well, rushing for 355 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Sun Devils went 8-5 and beat Florida State in the Sun Bowl.

During the 2021 season, Daniels had 2,380 yards and 10 touchdowns in the air and added 710 yards and six touchdowns in the run game. Arizona State once again went 8-5 but due to some off-the-field issues, a lot of the coaching staff left Tempe.

Finebaum: Jayden Daniels could be a ‘Joe Burrow moment’ for Kelly

Following Brian Kelly’s key acquisition of Jayden Daniels, SEC analyst Paul Finebaum posited whether it could be the former Notre Dame coach’s “Joe Burrow moment.”

“I think it’s a very big story,” Finebaum said. “I don’t want to hit the hyperbole meter too much, but my question is: Is this a Joe Burrow moment? Is this going to be a transformational moment for Brian Kelly? This guy is a really good quarterback. You guys all know that. But is that all they need? Joe Burrow played two years down there and he also had a cast around him that was spectacular. I don’t think LSU does, but I think it was smart.

“I think Brian Kelly probably doesn’t know what he has, but he knows this guy is better than everyone who has migrated. So I think it was a very smart decision and I think it’s a big decision. I think it’s one of the most important football decisions in the offseason and it gives LSU a chance to — not be a contender because I don’t think they’re quite there — but at least be at that next level of all those schools trying to keep up with Alabama and Texas A&M.”

Burrow transferred to LSU during the 2018 season after three years with minimal playing time at Ohio State. He immediately took over as the Tigers starting quarterback, eventually leading them to a College Football Playoff Championship and undefeated season in 2019.

Even better for Kelly, Daniels has a lot more experience under his belt than Burrow did when he took over at LSU.