Brian Kelly shares medical update on Jayden Daniels

The last time we saw LSU‘s starting quarterback Jayden Daniels was on the sideline for the Tigers in the SEC championship game. Daniels was knocked out of the game with a leg injury and was replaced by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. But with a month between the championship game and LSU’s Citrus Bowl matchup against Purdue on January 2, will the Tigers starter be healthy enough to play by then? According to LSU’s head coach Brian Kelly, if LSU had a game tomorrow, ‘he would be ready to play.’

“Yeah, he looked really good today. He’s been limited, but today was kind of his last test,” said Kelly. “One of the things we like to do is put the quarterback in direct snap (formations), so he’s pushing off and driving back. It’s hard; when you’re in shotgun, you shuffle your feet and do you throw it. And that’s how you can get them back quickly when you’re in shotgun. But you put them in direct snap, and he’s gotta drive and use his weight and transfer in a seven-step drop. And then step up and move. Today, he went through that progression. I would say if we were playing tomorrow, he would be ready to play.”

Daniels excelled as a dual-threat quarterback for much of the season for LSU but struggled mightily against the vaunted Georgia defense in the SEC championship game. Before sitting out the second half of the game, the junior quarterback threw for 208 yards on 16 of 24 passing with one touchdown and one interception.

On the ground, Daniels had six carries for -6 yards. With Daniels in line to play in the Citrus Bowl, it allows him and LSU to end the season on a high note and wash away the bitter taste of their last game against the Bulldogs.

Kelly says BJ Ojulari won’t play in Citrus Bowl for LSU vs. Purdue

Kelly announced star defensive EDGE rusher BJ Ojulari would not play in the Tigers’ Citrus Bowl game against Purdue. Ojulari previously declared for the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this month. But when he declared, he did not make it clear if he would play in the postseason.

Ojulari had his most productive season in 2022. The Tigers EDGE posted 56 total tackles, 36 solo, with five sacks and a forced fumble. In 2021, he had 54 tackles with seven sacks.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Ojulari was a four-star prospect out of Marietta (G.A.) High according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 12 overall prospect in the state, the fifth EDGE prospect in the class, and 76 overall prospect in the class.

“He is not going to be playing,” Kelly said.