With the Heisman vote, MLB’s No. 4 talent is now a part in NCAA history.
LSU won the College World Series in 2023, which was its first win since 2009 in baseball. It did a great job, led by the unique pairing of straight-handed pitcher Paul Skenes as well as outfielder Dylan Crews.
Crews won the Golden Spikes Award, that is presented every year to the best amateur baseball player.
The Pirates picked Skenes first overall after he helped the Tigers claim the title. The Nationals picked Crews second overall.
It was the first time in MLB history that two teammates were picked both first and second overall within the same draft.
But LSU Athletics did great in more than just baseball this year. When it comes to football, LSU player Jayden Daniels just won the Heisman Trophy within a huge way. Daniels has done a very special thing for LSU sports.
Todd Politz, who is in charge of material for LSU Athletics, says that Crews and Daniels are the second pair from the identical school to win both the Golden Spikes Award and the Heisman Trophy in the same year.
After Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura as well as Barry Sanders did the same thing in 1988, they did it too.
Brendan McKay or Lamar Jackson of Louisville did this in 2016–17, making them the first pair to do it in the same school year.
He beat out Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., as well as Ohio State receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. to win the award for best dual-threat quarterback.
Daniels was regarded as one for the best passers in the country in almost all of the important categories. He was also one of the few quarterbacks in 2023 to run for more than 1,000 yards.
Penix came in second with 292 first-place votes, while Daniels got 503 first-place votes. With 2,029 points to 1,701 points, the difference between the two quarterbacks was the smallest in Heisman votes since 2018.
Daniels began his speech by thanking the three other finalists who were there. He then said, “The competition was never over.” I’m excited to see you guys every Sunday.
At the end of the regular season, Daniels had completed 236 out of 327 passes, gaining 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns.
He only dropped four passes and finished more than 70% of them. Six players, including Nix (77.2%), made more of their passes than any other player.
But Daniels was way ahead of everyone else in yards per try. He was by far the best in the country at that because each time his threw the ball, the LSU attack gained an average of 11.7 yards.
Daniels and Nix were tied for first place in passing scores, even though Daniels had played one less game.
Nix played in 13 games in 2023, when Oregon won the Pac-12 title. Penix along with the Huskies beat the Ducks, though, and now they’re in the college football playoff.
It was likely that game that made Daniels the Heisman winner, since Nix’s completion rate fell below the record set by Daniels for a single season.
It was 1.3 yards less per throw for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who was second in yards per attempt.
In 12 games, Daniels ran 135 times for 1,134 yards as well as 10 scores. At 8.4, he averaged more yards per run than any other player in college football. He was more than a yard ahead of second-placed Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright.
There were a lot of times when Daniels had to drop back and pass, but he still managed to run the ball a lot.
Sacks count against a quarterback’s running yards in college football, and Daniels got sacked 22 times. Penix, for instance, has run for only 18 yards this season.
Daniels had at least one run longer instead of 40 yards in five games. His best game was a 52–35 win over Gators on November 11.
It took Daniels 17 out of 26 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 12 times for 234 yards and two scores.
Daniels scored touchdowns on runs of 85 and 51 yards in that game. He also threw three touchdowns within the last 18 minutes to help the Tigers beat the Gators.