Brian Kelly calls Jayden Daniels day-to-day entering Florida week

LSU head coach Brian Kelly called quarterback Jayden Daniels day-to-day after entering concussion protocol during the loss to Alabama.

Daniels was hit by Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner but the hit was not reviewed for targeting. The hit was right beneath Daniels’ chin.

Despite the vicious hit, the LSU quarterback could return Saturday, but Kelly didn’t jump ahead.

“I would consider him day to day,” Kelly said Monday. “He’s going through the injury protocol. And he’s made improvements. But this is a process that we’ll just have to, you know, see how it plays out from day to day, but I can tell you that he’s made some progress.”

LSU lost to Alabama, 42-28, and Daniels finished 15-of-24 for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also carried 11 times for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Kelly also addressed the lack of targeting once again and said there should be an emphasis on protecting the quarterback. But ultimately in the moment, it was what it was.

“I want to protect the quarterback and certainly there was a penalty on the play,” Kelly said. “You know, targeting is looked at by the replay officials. They had plenty of time, I think we even went to a timeout there as well. So there was plenty of time to look at it. They must have felt that there wasn’t targeting. 

“We sent it into the league office, because we felt like it checked all the boxes, but again, you know, we want to protect the quarterback here, obviously.”

Jayden Daniels day-to-day for LSU

Kelly called Daniels’ performance “good,” but not “great” after the game considering LSU fell short. But of course, Daniels was not able to finish.

“He would like to be considered great every week,” Kelly said postgame. “He’s tough. The runs that he had tonight were outstanding runs that kept drives alive. I mean, if he’s not out there we’re not even in the game. He made a difference, but I’m sure there’s going to be some things that he would like to do better as well.”

After his injury, Daniels was replaced by backup Garrett Nussmeier, who finished the game 5-of-10 passing for 53 yards. Nussmeier, a former four-star recruit out of the 2021 recruiting class, had 12 completions for 143 and a touchdown pass before taking over for the injured Daniels.

So while it’s up in the air for Daniels, LSU will have to get Nussmeier ready. With the way Daniels has played this year, he’s certainly in the Heisman Trophy conversation and LSU would be at a big advantage against Florida with him in the lineup.