Kirk Herbstreit says he'll vote for Jayden Daniels for Heisman Trophy

Kirk Herbstreit revealed he will vote for Jayden Daniels for the Heisman Trophy this season. The LSU quarterback got the vocal vote from Herbstreit on College GameDay.

During the show’s picks segment, Herbstreit picked LSU over Texas A&M and called Daniels a “special player.” The rest of the crew was fascinated by Herbstreit’s pick.

Daniels is one of the favorites to win the trophy this year along with Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

“So you look at Jayden Daniels, not only is he gonna win the Heisman this year, I think he’s gonna go to the NFL,” Herbstreit said. “Not only is he going to win with three losses, he’s gonna go into his world and become a guy because he can throw it, he can buy time to throw, he can buy time and run. Yeah, I think he’s a very, very special player.”

Through 11 games this season, going into Saturday’s contest against Texas A&M, Daniels has 3,577 yards, 36 touchdowns, four interceptions, a 72.6% completion percentage, 1,014 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Daniels was a four-star recruit out of San Bernardino (Calif.) Cajon, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 7 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 50 overall prospect in the class.

Jayden Daniels the front runner for Heisman?

“It is ridiculous,” former Heisman winner Tim Tebow said of Daniels’ production. “13 touchdowns in two games is silly. But he’s really been doing it all year, and he’s getting better every single week. Some of the things that you watch him do is, this guy gets skinny in the pocket, and then he accelerates. … There’s a lot of quarterbacks that get credit for their ability to escape, none better right now than Jayden Daniels.

“But also look at his velo. The velocity with that arm, it’s silly. He’s doing it over and over. Maybe what I like most that doesn’t get talked about, his touch and anticipation. Come on. … He’s doing it over and over and over again.”

Tebow wasn’t ready to give Daniels the Heisman Trophy yet, but he’s confident the LSU quarterback could clinch the award with another fantastic performance.

“This is a kid who’s getting better every single week,” Tebow said. “But he’s also going up against one of his toughest tests this afternoon in Texas A&M, who’s got the eighth best defense in college football. It’s going to be a great test. If Jayden wants to make a statement, he’s got a shot.”