Jayden Daniels explains if he thought this level of success was possible when he got to LSU

LSU QB Jayden Daniels has been nothing short of a sensation this season. His campaign has been so good that even he didn’t think some of what he is accomplishing was possible for him.

Daniels recalled his decision to transfer to Baton Rouge and what he thought it would do for him during his postgame press conference this weekend. To him, he didn’t realize that this kind of effect would be possible from him. That’s because his intention in leaving Tempe was just getting back to his identity and falling in love with the sport again.

“I would be lying if I said I did (believe this was possible),” admitted Daniels. “I believed that I could come here and make an impact. But just making an impact to this magnitude, being in the Heisman conversation, and stuff like that? That’s something I dreamt about.”

“For me? It was kind of just coming here, trying to get a fresh start. Just to make a name for myself from where I was at at Arizona State. Now, coming to LSU? Just to go out there and find the joy in football again,” said Daniels.

That magnitude of his impact that he referenced has been unlike almost any other player has had this season.

In 2023, Daniels has posted nearly 4,600 total yards of offense. He has done so incredibly efficiently too with a 72.1% completion rate when passing and an average of 8.2 yards per carry. Those statistics also includes 46 touchdowns overall as the engine behind the nation’s top offense.

That stretch of 11 games has gone to a whole other level over the past two games. Over a pair of wins over Florida and Georgia State, Daniels has put up over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns on his own. If he wasn’t already right near the top of the conversation for the Heisman Trophy, those pair of outings may at the very least punched his ticket to New York if not put him in the lead for the award.

Still, Daniels only gives so much credit to himself for his major success this fall. He understands that the work was his and his alone to do. Even so, he also chalked a majority up to a higher power for leading him to Death Valley as a place where he could find this kind of achievement for himself.

“It’s really nothing but God,” Daniels said. “It’s God’s plan, honestly – his timing with everything.”

“I had to go put the work in. Coming back this offseason, I put the work in day in and day out,” said Daniels. “You can’t cheat the game of football. You’ve really got to go out there and just give it your all. Just lock in for a couple months and your life could change.”