LSU’s Jayden Daniels could be prime for a big 2023
LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] will return to Baton Rouge in 2023.
Daniels chose not to walk at senior day in November, which hinted at a good possibility of him staying put. This was his fourth year as a starter but just his first at LSU after transferring from Arizona State.
With Daniels’ return, the QB position is stabilized, and there’s a good argument to make there’s not a better returning quarterback in the conference. You’re always going to get a good bit of coach-speak when talking about quarterbacks. The staff could say “it’s an open competition,” but this is Daniels’ job to lose.
In a year where the expectations for LSU weren’t high, Daniels helped lead the Tigers to an SEC West title. His clutch performances against Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama carried LSU through the toughest stretch of its season.
Daniels has his critics and he isn’t perfect. He struggled to get the ball out at times, wasn’t always willing to push it down the field, and had a couple of games where he didn’t look good at all.
But Daniels’ play was a plus for LSU. There aren’t many other ways to put it. There could be ripple effects. One of LSU’s younger quarterbacks could hit the portal, but that’s how this business works.
When you have a known quantity at quarterback, someone you know you can with, that’s a luxury. That’s what LSU has in Daniels. Look around the SEC. Alabama and Georgia will both be breaking in new quarterbacks in 2023.
Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, and Hendon Hooker are off to the NFL.
Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss are well positioned. I’d expect Will Rogers, K.J. Jefferson, and Jaxson Dart to stick around, but you could argue Daniels is better than all of them.
According to PFF, Daniels posted a better offensive grade than any QB slated to return. ESPN’s QBR had Jefferson just above Daniels. They ranked 17th and 18th in the country.
He ranked third, behind Young and Hooker.
Texas A&M has to like what it has with Conner Weigman, and we’ll see if South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler puts it together for a full year, but both guys are less proven than Daniels.
Along with Daniels, LSU will return its entire offensive line, at least a couple of experienced running backs, and the crown jewels of it all could be a wide receiver group headlined by [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag].
Throw in [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who could be a budding star at tight end, with some talented incoming freshmen, and this is an LSU offense loaded with talent and experience.
Offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] seemed to grasp his personnel better as the year went on — the entire LSU staff did. He’ll now have another offseason to build his offense. He doesn’t have to limit anything, he doesn’t have to spend a few weeks experimenting — he should know what works.
That’s a big deal for an offense that struggled to find its rhythm at times. Daniels’ time at Arizona State was marred by the pandemic, the program’s issues with the NCAA, and an ever-changing offensive staff.
He no longer has to put up with that. He gets to play with better talent too. LSU and Daniels have provided each other with stability. It’s the most stable LSU’s QB position has been since [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] returned in 2019.
That’s what [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was tasked with doing when he took the job.
Daniels and this offense have a chance to post some prolific numbers next fall. The expectations will be high, the polar opposite of what they were entering this year.
Daniels is in a rare position. Very few quarterbacks get to play a fifth-year already having this much experience and being surrounded by so much talent.
We’ll see if this team is able to make the most of it.
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