LSU QB Jayden Daniels is the new Heisman frontrunner

For the first time this season, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is carrying the best odds to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy.

DraftKings moved Daniels ahead of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix early Sunday morning, and others followed.

Daniels is now carrying +110 odds, while Nix has moved to +120. Washington quarterback Michael Penix, who had trended above Daniels all season, dropped to +550 despite a win over Oregon State to keep the Huskies undefeated.

Caesar’s Sportsbook is giving Daniels even better odds to win at -120, while Nix is now +150 and Penix +600.

FanDuel is currently giving both Daniels and Nix odds at +120 and Penix at +500, while BetMGM is still giving Daniels odds of +140, which is second to Nix at +110.

Witnessing history at QB in Baton Rouge, once again

Despite the Tigers sitting at 8-3 on the season, Daniels has taken the nation by storm with his head-turning numbers at quarterback.

Daniels has passed for 3,577 yards, which ranks second nationally in yards per game (325.2 yards). Daniels leads the NCAA in passing touchdowns with 36, which is now one score ahead of Nix’s mark of 35.

Daniels has a better passer efficiency rating (208.3) than any quarterback to ever with the Heisman Trophy. The NCAA’s record for pass efficiency for a season is 207.6.

Then, there’s his legs.

Daniels has rushed for 1,014 rushing yards this season, the most by any quarterback in college football. Daniels is one of 25 players to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this season – and he’s the lone quarterback on a list filled with 24 running backs.

With 46 total touchdowns, no player in college football has accounted for more scores than Daniels.

It’s a runaway in the total yards department. With 4,591 total yards in 11 games, Daniels has 924 yards more than Nix – his main competition for the Heisman Trophy. The closest player to Daniels is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who has 3,775 yards in 12 games played. That puts Daniels 816 yards ahead of Williams with one less game played.

Daniels averages an NCAA-best 417 yards per game, making him the only player in college football to have eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark this season and the lone player averaging more than 400 yards per game. His average of 417 yards per game would be the most by any Heisman Trophy winner in history.

With LSU set to wrap up the regular season at home vs. Texas A&M on Saturday, Daniels has a good chance to eclipse 5,000 all-purpose yards across the program’s 12-game slate.

Daniels moves into the “3K-1K Club” on Saturday night

On Saturday night in Death Valley, Daniels and LSU’s offense put on a show in a 56-14 win over Georgia State.

The Tigers scored touchdowns on all eight drives that Daniels was in the game, a run that stretched into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

By night’s end, Daniels hit 509 total yards and eight touchdowns, which tied Daniels with former LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow for the program’s single game touchdown record.

Daniels came into the week with the most all-purpose yards in college football, and he officially joined the “3K-1K Club” in the third quarter. Daniels entered the night with 3,000-plus yards passing in 10 games. In his 11th game, Daniels surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season.

How rare is the “3K-1K Club”?

Only six quarterbacks have ever pulled it off: Vince Young (2005), Johnny Manziel (2012), Deshaun Watson (2015), Lamar Jackson (2016, 2017), Kyler Murray (2018) and Jalen Hurts (2019). Half the names on the list won the Heisman Trophy, while Young lost to Reggie Bush, Watson to Derrick Henry, Jackson (in 2017) to Baker Mayfield and Hurts in 2019 to Joe Burrow.

It’s a special group of quarterbacks who were dominate in college football, and Daniels became the seventh name on the list.