Brian Kelly explains how Jayden Daniels has been pushed for more entering season

LSU coach Brian Kelly saw a lot of growth from quarterback Jayden Daniels this spring, and he believes that is at least in part due to Daniels being “pushed” by backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Daniels won the starting job over Nussmeier last season and kept that role all year for the Tigers. Kelly has said in the past that that he will also enter 2023 as the starter. Still, Nussmeier has apparently done enough this offseason to stand out and make things interesting for Daniels.

“I think when you have a quarterback like Jayden, you look at — No. 1 — what’s his one desire?” Kelly said in a recent interview with WBRZ in Baton Rouge. “How bad does he want it? The fact of the matter is he had a quarterback that was in the same room that wants it just as bad in Nuss. So you have a big push there. He’s being pushed every day by Garrett.”

Daniels threw for 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions this past season while leading the Tigers to an SEC West title. He was also a threat on the ground with 885 yards rushing and 11 TDs.

However, Nussmeier got the chance to flash his potential in the SEC Championship after Daniels left the game with injury. He played the entire second half to finish 15-of-27 passing for 294 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against a tough Georgia defense.

Then in the Citrus Bowl against Purdue, Daniels and Nussmeier split reps. By the end of the game, it was actually Nussmeier that led the Tigers in passing with 173 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Daniels still put together a respectable game with 139 yards passing and a touchdowns in addition to 67 yards rushing.

That plus Nussmeier’s performance this spring has certainly put pressure on Jayden Daniels, and Brian Kelly has seen him respond.

“You have a guy that’s intrinsically motivated,” the coach said. “Jayden wants to be the best. Those two things working together, it doesn’t surprise me that he got better because he was just trying to be the best version of himself. We saw that happen in the spring.”

After last season’s performance, LSU enters 2023 as a contender to once again win the SEC West and possibly even make the College Football Playoff. The return of Daniels and his top receiver Malik Nabers is a big reason why, and he’ll hope to show how much he has improved once the season kicks off Sept. 3 against Florida State.