Jayden Daniels, the quarterback for LSU and a Heisman Trophy candidate is not playing this weekend, but he is now a strong candidate to become the program’s second Heisman winner in as many seasons. After No. 3 Washington’s victory over No. 5 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, which included his biggest rivals for the award—Huskies quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. and Ducks quarterback Bo Nix—Daniels once again became the undisputed favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
As of Saturday morning, Daniels had odds of -1450, comfortably ahead of Nix (+2000) and Penix (+1000), who both made their final statements on Friday night, and with an extra game compared to Daniels’ 12 games. Before Washington defeated Oregon 34–31 in the Pac-12 Championship Game, Nix was the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Against the Huskies, Nix completed 21 of 34 passes for 239 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also gained 69 yards through rushing. Penix, on the other hand, was 27-of-39 for 319 yards, including a touchdown and an interception, against the Ducks as Washington improved to 13-0 and won the Pac-12, putting them in the driver’s seat for a trip to the College Football Playoffs.
After starting at Arizona State and transferring, Daniels became the SEC’s top passer at the end of the regular season in 2023, throwing for 3,812 yards. He will be a second-year starter for LSU. Following the Pac-12 championship game last night, Nix and Penix were the only FBS players with more passing yards this season, both surpassing the 4,000-yard mark.
Penix leads the country in passing with 4,218 yards, but Daniels only had four interceptions while passing for 40 touchdowns, which is tied with Nix for the most of any FBS player in 2023 as of Friday night. Penix, on the other hand, completed 30 touchdown passes but was intercepted nine times. When you consider that Daniels has also thrived as a dual-threat passer, it’s easy to see why the two are separated in the betting odds. Daniels, who averaged 8.4 yards per carry while amassing 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns, concluded the regular season as LSU’s top rusher. That put him almost 500 yards ahead of running back Logan Diggs, who leads the Tigers in rushing.
In program history, Daniels hopes to join Billy Cannon (1959) and Joe Burrow (2019) as LSU’s third Heisman winner. The last time an SEC player took home the Heisman Trophy was in 2021 when quarterback Bryce Young of Alabama did. Dec. 9 in New York City will see the announcement of the Heisman winner.