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Brian Kelly reacts to Jayden Daniels winning the Heisman Trophy

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•12/09/23•

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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers and Jayden Daniels #5 celebrate after a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Tiger Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Brian Kelly became a head coach at the FBS level in 2004, taking over at Central Michigan. He eventually moved on to Cincinnati, then Notre Dame, and nearly two decades later, LSU. Never has Kelly been able to produce a Heisman Trophy winner until now, when Jayden Daniels joined the exclusive fraternity on Saturday night.

Kelly was asked for his instant reaction to Daniels being voted the winner, once again talking about how special his quarterback is. Not just for his on-field performances but also off the field. Coming to LSU via Arizona State, Daniels instantly became a fan favorite.

And when LSU fans decide you are their favorite, they will have your back, no matter what. Kelly knows the party down on the Bayou is probably a special one right now.

“I’m just so thrilled that I can see a young man develop like this is such a very short period of time,” Kelly said via ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “The football is amazing, right? That’s how you win this. But off the field, his leadership, what he’s done to touch this program and the state of Louisiana — they’re probably celebrating just as much in Louisiana as they are a championship. It’s emotional.”

Daniels is the third-ever Heisman Trophy winner produced by LSU. Nobody in Baton Rouge forgets the last one, with Joe Burrow taking over college football back in the 2019 season. Shortly after hearing his name in New York City, Burrow was leading the Tigers to a national championship and making dreams come true.

Billy Cannon was the first, dating back to 1959. LSU had won the national title a year prior but Cannon earned his Heisman Trophy back then. For 60 years, he was the only player in program history to win college football’s most prestigious award.

Now, in the space of four seasons, two more trophies have been added to the collection.

If Daniels wants to suit up one more time for LSU, he could. A Jan. 1 bowl game against Wisconsin is on the schedule. Either way, Daniels is going to be off to the NFL and has a chance to be a first-round pick.

No matter how his career shakes out at the next level, Daniels will be a legend in the state of Louisiana. Every time he makes his way back to Tiger Stadium and gets shown on the jumbotron, it will be the loudest cheer you hear all night.