Jayden Daniels gives backstory on his transfer, why LSU was the choice

Jayden Daniels was one of the most sought-after transfer quarterbacks of the last cycle when he announced he’d be leaving Arizona State. With a number of potential suitors, and the chance to return to ASU and be the starter, Daniels ultimately set his sights on LSU, where he’s now in a competition for the starting job.

Speaking to media on Aug. 16, Daniels was glad he bet on himself and made the decision to come play in Baton Rouge. Daniels could’ve gone somewhere that would’ve given him the keys to the offense when he stepped on campus, but he prefers the challenges presented by LSU.

“Yeah, just my journey. Went to Arizona State, obviously, for three years. Decided to make the transfer, make the best decision for me and my future,” Daniels said. “Just the opportunity to come here, opportunity that presented itself to come in and compete at the highest level against the best conference in college football, the SEC West. So to be able to go here, be able to be around the talent that matches where I’m trying to go, I’m trying to be. So that’s the reason why I chose to come here.”

And though he left behind what was certainly a Power 5 starting role in Tempe, Daniels is content with his decision to transfer and face the competition within his new team. Right now, Daniels and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier are dueling to be QB1 for the Tigers — it became a two-man race after Myles Brennan recently retired from football.

“No matter where you go, you bet on yourself,” Daniels said. “I know what I present to the table. At the end of the day, like I said, it doesn’t matter who they start. It’s a great quarterback room. It’s one of the top quarterback rooms in the country. So you know we got talented guys all around. So I just want to help prepare them, help them prepare me, because at the end of the day, whoever they call to be the starter, that’s going to be the starter.”

Daniels also brings blazing speed to the table

Daniels is a dynamic runner at the quarterback position. The idea of him galloping around the bayou was only aided by a tweet this spring that claimed new LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly said Daniels hit 21 miles per hour on the run in the spring. (For reference, Raheem Mostert was the fastest clocked NFL player in 2021 at just over 23 mph.) Daniels was asked about this tidbit and whether it was indeed true that he clocked in at 21 mph.

“Yeah I did,” Daniels said. “I did.”

He got asked if coaches and staff regularly measure or track the speed of players in practice.

“Yeah they do,” Daniels said. “That was probably one of the — yeah I ran 21 miles per hour. That’s what Coach Kelly told me. I mean I look at that type of stuff, but I just go out there and run.”