Pressure can do one of two things to a person: It can turn you into a diamond, or it can turn you into dust. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] has been under pressure since he was a freshman at Arizona State.
On Saturday, he shined in LSU’s SEC-opening win over Mississippi State, earning the game ball from coach Brian Kelly for his performance.
He graduated early from Cajon High School so that he could be an early enrollee for the Sun Devils’ 2019 recruiting class. That decision sped up his knowledge of the Arizona State offense and helped him win the starting job.
Fast forward to 2022, Daniels entered the transfer portal and was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the portal. He chooses to take his talents to the Bayou and join [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in the SEC. We all have heard the SEC slogan, “It just means more.” Football means more at LSU than it does at Arizona State.
LSU fans remember the last time a transfer quarterback started — he won a national championship. That’s even more pressure. Daniels wasn’t handed the starting role either. He had to earn it. He competed against [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howard for the starting job, and he proved to everyone that he was the No. 1 quarterback on the team.
On Sept. 4, Daniels led the Tigers into Game 1 against Florida State in the same stadium where LSU won the 2019 national championship in. We know the end result. Daniels showed a lot of promise, but LSU came up short.
LSU starts the season 0-1 and even more, pressure is added on his shoulders. How would he respond to all of the pressure and adversity? He became a leader as he led the Tigers to a huge win in Kelly’s first SEC game against Mississippi State. He never shied away from the spotlight. He never folded to the pressure and expectations.
He put his head down and went to work. Now, it is his time to shine like a diamond.
He was tough as nails. Our quarterback, Jayden Daniels, left it all out there and earned the game ball tonight. pic.twitter.com/v6GM7jMSBE
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) September 18, 2022
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