Jayden Daniels reveals how Brian Kelly detailed quarterback competition

LSU had a busy offseason in the transfer portal after first-year head coach Brian Kelly looked to rebuild the roster. Among the many additions, the Tigers added former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels to the roster to compete for the starting quarterback job with the returning players.

Jayden Daniels, now competing with Myles Brennan, Walker Howard and Garrett Nussmeier for the starting quarterback job at LSU, ranked as the 60th overall transfer prospect in the On3 Transfer Rankings.

During his first player availability, Daniels discussed that competition between players for the position in 2022.

“Coach Kelly was very transparent,” said Daniels. “It’s kind of like going back to when I was being recruited out of high school. Arizona State, coach Herman (Edwards) and them had two other freshman quarterbacks coming in the same class as me. At the end of the day, they said, ‘you have an opportunity to come in and play if you do the things, the best player is going to play.’ So at the end of the day coach Kelly said the same thing.

“The best player is going to play, it’s not anything where we’re on the phone and he’s guaranteeing me, talking about you’re going to start or anything. It’s been very transparent. Walker, Myles came back, Nussmeier is a good player. At the end of the day, I didn’t want anything handed to me and I felt like it was the best spot for me.”

At Arizona State, Daniels completed 62.4% of his passes for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdowns in 29 games over three years.

Out of high school from the class of 2019, Daniels was a four-star recruit and the No. 8-ranked recruit from the state of California, according to the On3 Consensus.

Jayden Daniels on LSU transfer

Jayden Daniels also took time to break down why he chose to transfer to the Tigers and compete for the starting job with other veterans.

“My decision to enter the transfer portal was probably the best decision for me and my future career, the goals I want to accomplish,” said Daniels. “Those conversations with coach Kelly and them, I showed interest in them, they showed interest back. Talked on the phone, just had the opportunity to come play at the highest level, help a powerhouse win another national championship so I could showcase my skills. That’s probably the most intriguing thing for me.

“Coach Kelly is the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, so you know he knows how to win. He knows how to get his team where he needs it to be, so I wanted to be a part of it.”