Jayden Daniels – Page 186 – Syndication Server

Five key takeaways from LSU’s spring game

Here are the takeaway’s from Brian Kelly’s first spring game in Baton Rouge

For the first time ever, Brian Kelly led LSU down victory hill.

It wasn’t a real game, but one could argue it was the first real moment of Kelly’s tenure.

It can be hard to piece together information from spring games, you still have to keep a holistic view of previous knowledge.

All of the eyes in Baton Rouge today were on the quarterbacks. LSU fans got to see Jayden Daniels and Walker Howard in Tiger Stadium for the first time.

In the case of Daniels, it seems like he has really progressed over the course of the spring as he has continued to get comfortable in Baton Rouge. He made some big-time throws, including big plays to Brian Thomas Jr and Jack Bech.

All four quarterbacks were responsible for at least one touchdown drive.

The wide receivers and defensive linemen flashed their talent today, and those two groups are expected to be the strength heading into the fall.

LSU was without star receiver Kayshon Boutte as he still works to get back after his 2021 was cut short due to injury. Garrett Dellinger and Marlon Martinez were also absent, and they are two guys that could compete for time this fall.

With all that said, here are five key takeaways from LSU’s spring game.

Is Garrett Nussmeier emerging as a legit option at QB?

LSU’s quarterback battle may be more than just a two-man competition.

The biggest story surrounding LSU football this spring is the quarterback battle. That will continue to be the case until a starter is finally named, which probably isn’t happening until August.

Despite it being an open competition, many assumed that it was really just a battle between [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]. These are the guys with experience and the guys the coaching staff went out of their way to get on the roster.

But all spring, there have been some signs that Garrett Nussmeier is in the conversation to. Recently, The Athletic’s Brody Miller wrote a story on Nussmeier, stating a staff member said Nussmeier is right in the thick of it.

After [autotag]Walker Howard[/autotag], the highly touted quarterback LSU signed in February, joined the program, many assumed that Nussmeier might not have a future at LSU.

He was sandwiched in-between the veterans and hot-shot freshman. In the age of the transfer portal, not every quarterback would stick around in that situation.

For now, Nussmeier is still here, and he’s competing.

He didn’t play much in 2021, so it’s hard to tell if the sample size is adequate to get some real takeaways. According to PFF, Nussmeier’s average depth of target was 13.6 yards, almost four yards more than Max Johnson’s.

At the same time, Nussmeier said earlier this spring that he is trying to shed that gunslinger label. It’s not that he doesn’t want to sling it, but that label has led some to see Nussmeier as a guy that wasn’t ready, as a guy who took risks for the heck of it and someone who couldn’t go through the basic progressions of an offense.

That being said, it’s still the arm talent that’s drawing the most attention this spring. That’s not to say Nussmeier hasn’t improved in other areas, it sounds like he has, but there’s been tweet after tweet saying Nussmeier just made a dynamite throw throughout the spring.

He’s not going to run a 4.2 forty, but he’s got legs. If the quarterbacks were to race, Daniels would probably win, but Nussmeier might be the guy coming in second.

This isn’t to say Nussmeier should be the favorite to start, it’s probably still one of the older guys. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] didn’t spend time re-recruiting Brennan and going after Daniels to have them ride the bench, but the best man will play, and Nussmeier has a chance to prove that’s him.

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Where do LSU’s passers stand in SEC quarterback rankings?

The duo of Jayden Daniels and Myles Brennan landed 10th in On3’s SEC quarterback rankings.

This LSU team has a lot to figure out this spring, but much of the discussion so far has centered around the quarterback battle.

There are two primary competitors to win the job: [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], a redshirt senior whose career has been marred by injuries and was talked out of the transfer portal by coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], the player Kelly added in the transfer portal.

Daniels comes from Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter and had productive seasons in 2019 and 2020 before struggling this past year. He’ll look for more success in Baton Rouge, and many consider him the favorite to win the job.

Regardless of which signal-caller gets the nod initially, On3’s Jesse Simonton ranked LSU’s quarterback position at 10th in the SEC.

Brian Kelly has the rest of the summer and fall to determine who will be his quarterback Week 1 against Florida State, but it wouldn’t surprise me if both Brennan and Daniels, a transfer from Arizona State, see action to start the season. Brennan shocked many when he took his name out of the transfer portal to return to LSU, but then Kelly went and recruited Daniels away from ASU. The Tigers have a shoddy offensive line and their once-vaunted run game has been absent in recent years, but they are loaded at receiver.

As Simonton notes, the quarterback certainly won’t be wanting for targets in the passing game. The Tigers return Kayshon Boutte, one of the top receivers in the nation, as well as other contributors like [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag].

The big challenge for LSU will be up front, where it has to replace four of five starters from a year ago along the offensive line. That could prove to be the limiting factor this season, but given the fact that the Tigers have two veteran players with experience competing for the job, it’s hard to imagine the winner of the job can’t be in the top half of the league’s passers.

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How many games will LSU win in 2022?

247Sports projects the Tigers’ record this coming season.

There are not many teams more difficult to preview than the Tigers. This team went 6-7 last season and has a number of scary positional situations, especially along the offensive line.

Still, the decision to hire [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] as the next head coach brought an influx of both coaching and on-field talent. With a solid haul in the transfer portal and a respectable transition class that included five-star linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], an in-state prospect Kelly flipped from Texas A&M, this team has some potential.

Bud Elliott and Brad Crawford from 247Sports previewed the entire SEC, with Elliott projecting a win total and Crawford giving his take on that number. For the Tigers, neither was particularly confident.

Elliott pegged LSU at seven wins in 2022, and Crawford said the best bet would be for the Tigers to hit exactly that number. Here’s his full take.

Even; the win total is 6.5 for LSU, take the over as an official play, but that’s not going to happen. Brian Kelly inspires confidence as a head coach, even during his first season with the “big boys” in the SEC, but the back end of the slate is treacherous and there’s a chance the Tigers could lose their final three SEC games in November (Alabama, at Arkansas, at Texas A&M). If this helps, LSU is closer to an 8-4 finish than 6-6 if you want to sprinkle a few bucks on the over total.

Playing in the SEC West is certainly brutal for a first-year head coach, even one with Kelly’s credentials. Still, the winningest coach in Notre Dame history and third-winningest active FBS coach will be far from out of his depth in Baton Rouge.

This team has a lot of questions to answer, namely at the quarterback spot. But there are intriguing options there in veteran [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], who has shown some promise when healthy, which has been rare. There’s also [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], a transfer from Arizona State who started three seasons for the Sun Devils.

If one of those two is the guy, this team could have a pretty high ceiling. There’s talent at the skill positions, and while the defense suffered a lot of losses this offseason, the transfer portal helped mitigate them. Given the schedule, finishing much better than 8-4 could be tough, but that seems like a realistic if slightly underwhelming goal to set in Year 1.

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Breaking down LSU’s offensive outlook over the next three seasons

LSU hired a coach with a solid offensive track record, and that unit is expected to take a leap forward this year.

There were a number of factors that made former Notre Dame coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] an appealing option in Baton Rouge. His track record of success in South Bend — where he’s the winningest coach in program history with a national title appearance and two College Football Playoff berths — and recruiting ability certainly moved the needle.

Though Kelly is a defensive coach, he has historically had productive offenses. That side of the ball took a step back for the Tigers over the last two seasons, but with an influx of talent paired with the addition of Kelly and offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag], who had a great deal of success with Cincinnati, that could be changing in the near future.

In its power rankings of college football offenses over the next three seasons, ESPN ranked LSU among the top 25, standing at No. 16.

2022 future QB ranking: 16
2021 future offense ranking: 11

Scouting the Tigers: Brian Kelly has produced solid to excellent offenses throughout his coaching career, and aims to replicate his success on the Bayou. His first LSU offense features plenty of talented pieces, but how they come together in Year 1 and beyond will be fascinating. The quarterback room is quite full, as LSU has two veteran options for 2022 in Myles Brennan, who returns from injury, and Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, a three-year starter trying to recapture his 2019 form. The future at QB also looks bright with Garrett Nussmeier and incoming freshman Walker Howard, both ESPN top-65 national recruits in the past two classes. Whoever wins the job this year will throw to one of college football’s best receivers in Kayshon Boutte, who had nine touchdown receptions in only six games last fall. Receptions leader Jack Bech returns as a sophomore, and LSU has several other interesting non-seniors, including Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers. Also, ESPN 300 junior Omarion Miller is committed to LSU.

The big short-term areas of concern are the offensive line and tight end. LSU has some versatile linemen such as sophomore Garrett Dellinger and junior Anthony Bradford, who can play both guard and tackle. Kelly and line coach Brad Davis, a holdover from the previous staff, need transfers Miles Frazier (Florida International) and Tre’Mond Shorts (East Tennessee State) to pan out this coming season. LSU also could get a boost if oft-injured senior Cam Wire stays healthy. There’s good news in recruiting, as LSU added five-star tackle Will Campbell (ESPN’s No. 13 overall recruit) and four-star guard Emery Jones in the 2022 class. Tight ends Kole Taylor and Jack Mashburn both played 12 games last fall but have room to grow, and LSU has a commitment from Mac Markway, ESPN’s No. 121 junior prospect. Running back John Emery Jr. returns after academic issues cost him all of last season. LSU also added Penn State transfer Noah Cain, who rushed for eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2019.

The unit has a lot of potential in 2022 with talent at the skill positions (including one of college football’s best receivers in Boutte). The Tigers have options at quarterback, and if they have a good enough offensive line to keep that passer upright, this could be a group that surprises some folks this season.

Whether that pans out or not, with Kelly’s recruiting and proven aptitude in the transfer portal, this should be an offense set to be among the best in the nation over the next few years, especially with the likely quarterback of the future already on campus in Howard.

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ESPN writer thinks LSU will underperform in 2022

ESPN’s David Hale listed the Tigers as the team most likely to underachieve next season.

Expectations for LSU are about as high as they come for a first-year head coach entering into 2022. Though the team went just 6-7 in a 2021 campaign that resulted in the firing of coach [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] just two years removed from a national title, fans — understandably — expect better this time around.

The main reason for that is the latest “big fish” that athletics director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] managed to bring to Baton Rouge: coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].

Kelly was the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, and he made the (mostly) unprecedented decision to leave one college football blue-blood for another. He’s coached in a national title game and made the College Football Playoff twice, and he came to LSU to win a championship.

He inherits a roster with some holes but also a lot of talent, and many expect the team to improve quite a bit in Year 1. Many, but not all. ESPN’s David Hale sees the Tigers as a team that is likely to underachieve.

Here’s a stat that shouldn’t be too surprising. In 2019, LSU averaged 3.5 points per drive against Power 5 opponents — essentially a TD every other drive. In no other year since 2014 have the Tigers averaged more than 2.4. Indeed, since 2008, LSU averages just a tick more than 2 points per drive, 2019 excepted. The point here is that the national championship season was an anomaly, and the job Kelly inherits is far bigger than people think. In fact, LSU has been pretty lucky over the past two seasons. Of the Tigers’ 11 wins, six came by a TD or less. Given the tough competition in the SEC West, it’s entirely reasonable to think LSU isn’t going to be much better than last year’s 6-6 regular-season record, which probably isn’t what LSU fans want to hear after hiring Kelly away from Notre Dame.

A lot of Hale’s points make sense. Even a seasoned and successful coach like Kelly can’t fix all of this program’s problems in Year 1, and that national championship season feels like a distant memory.

Still, I would argue this team’s ceiling is a bit higher than Hale intimates. The Tigers have a lot of intriguing options at quarterback, including a pair of players with starting Power Five experience in veteran [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] and Arizona State transfer [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag].

If they can figure it out at that position, the rest should fall into place given the talent at the skill positions. That’s not to say this team has no holes, though. Offensive line and several spots on defense have major question marks heading into next season.

But this team has the talent to be quite a bit better than .500, especially with a number of solid additions through recruiting and the transfer portal. It would be wise to keep expectations in check, but this team should improve in Kelly’s first season.

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What will LSU’s quarterback room look like if Jayden Daniels wins the job?

Myles Brennan could be a transfer candidate if Daniels is able to secure the starting spot.

When [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] announced that he would be returning to LSU, much of the fan base and people that write about the team pegged him as the favorite to win the job, and with good reason.

Brennan is a sixth-year player who has talent and some starts under his belt. It’s not clear what his ceiling is, but his three starts in 2020 showed a solid floor.

With blue-chip recruits like [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Howard[/autotag] in the room with Brennan, it looked like LSU was fine at quarterback wasn’t going to go after one in the transfer portal.

The Tigers were only going to go get a quarterback if it really liked the guy. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] found that in [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]. LSU wouldn’t have gone out and got Daniels if it didn’t think he would make the team better.

Does that mean the coaching staff thinks Daniels is better than Brennan? That’s not clear yet, but it’s certainly possible.

Because of the circumstances, it could be assumed that Daniels is the favorite to win this job. Which raises the question, what does Myles Brennan do if he’s the backup?

If spring practice concludes and Brennan senses that the competition is trending in Daniels’ direction, he could still transfer. Even with all the transfer activity that’s already been seen, there’s still another wave to come.

That would probably be Brennan’s last chance at a transfer, and he’s had a lot of them over the years. If he waits until September, it’ll be too late, as he has until May 1 to transfer and play next season.

He could always stay. Just because Daniels wins the job doesn’t mean he’s going to be good. Daniels could struggle and Brennan could take the job that way. At second string, Brennan would also just be one snap away if an injury were to happen to Daniels.

Brennan is out of eligibility after this year. This is it. It’s doubtful that he has any interest in being a backup or sitting out yet another year.

Because of that, it could actually be likely that he transfers after spring. If he doesn’t know that he’s going to win, why risk it if there’s a place he knows he can go, win the starting job, and put something on tape for the NFL?

From LSU’s point of view, Brennan sticking around is ideal. The last couple of years have shown it’s never a bad thing to have more than one option at quarterback.

The writing may be on the wall. Daniels didn’t come here to watch Brennan play, and Brennan didn’t come back to watch a transfer swoop in and start. Something has to give, and an answer might be coming soon.

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CBS Sports highlights LSU’s quarterback competition as one to watch

The addition of Jayden Daniels made an already intriguing quarterback battle one of the top competitions in the country.

While much of the SEC has already started spring camp, the Tigers are set to begin practice a bit later than others on March 24. When LSU takes the field for the first time under coach Brian Kelly, all the eyes will be on the signal-callers.

Kelly already had an interesting quarterback battle on his hands between veteran Myles Brennan, who has been severely limited by injuries the past two seasons, as well as redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and five-star true freshman Walker Howard.

Now, things get even more intriguing as Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels joined the Tigers just a few weeks ago and is set to be on campus for spring practice. Daniels has three years of starting experience in the Power Five, and he will certainly make a strong push for the job in Baton Rouge.

CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson highlighted the Tigers’ quarterback competition as one to watch heading into spring practice. Here’s what he had to say.

Contenders: Jayden Daniels, Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier

The outlook for this competition took a sharp turn earlier this month when Daniels, the former Arizona State quarterback, announced LSU as his transfer destination. Daniels was a three-year starter for coach Herm Edwards and the Sun Devils, emerging as an instant-impact star in 2019 with 17 touchdowns and two interceptions before falling short of matching that high level of play in the following two seasons. Brennan figured to be the leader in this competition prior to that news, as he’s been a steady and reliable option when healthy. However, his injury history brings some concern that may have been a factor in Daniels’ arrival in Baton Rouge. The X-factor here is how new coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock want to run the offense, which in turn might be dependent on who wins this job.

Daniels brings a much different dynamic to the table than the other players in the quarterback room do. His mobility sets him apart, and he’s coming off his most successful season on the ground with 710 yards and six touchdowns in 2021.

However, his passing efficiency dropped off quite a bit this year as he threw as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns. Still, he brings a unique skillset to Baton Rouge, and given Brennan’s inability to stay healthy over the last two years, it’s understandable why Kelly and the Tigers wanted to bring him in.

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247Sports thinks transfer Jayden Daniels will win LSU’s starting QB job

Daniels’ path to the starting job won’t be easy, but he has the most experience in LSU’s quarterback room.

LSU already had one of the most interesting quarterback battles in college football, and on Sunday, the race for the starting job saw a new candidate enter the field.

Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels announced his commitment to the Tigers, adding a player with three years of starting Power Five experience to the group vying for the top spot. It certainly won’t be a cakewalk if Daniels wants to be this team’s starter, though.

He will be competing super senior Myles Brennan, who missed nearly all of the prior two seasons with injuries, promising redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and an uber-talented five-star true freshman in Walker Howard.

However, in spite of the stiff competition, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford thinks Daniels will ultimately be the player to get the nod in Week 1 against Florida State in New Orleans. Here’s what he said about the quarterback competition.

The SEC’s newest quarterback acquisition, Daniels is coming to Baton Rouge from Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter and difference-maker for Herm Edwards and the Sun Devils. He gives the Tigers big-play potential under center and strengthens the quarterback room considerably ahead of Brian Kelly’s first season at the program. Logic tells you LSU likely would not have taken a signal caller two weeks prior to the start of camp unless the Tigers felt the need for another player in the competition. Brennan has starting experience, but has been often injured during his career and Nussmeier appeared in four games as a freshman in 2021.

As Crawford mentions, wanting another starting experience given Brennan’s injury history makes a lot of sense, and Daniels’ dual-threat skillset provides some nice balance for a quarterback room mostly comprised of pocket passers. That’s not to say Daniels can’t sling it, though.

His best season was his true freshman campaign in 2019, when he finished with an impressive 17 touchdowns to two interceptions on a career-high 8.7 yards per attempt. The Sun Devils only played four games in 2020 due to COVID-19, but Daniels was efficient once again with five touchdowns and one interception.

That efficiency took a dive in 2021 as he threw 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, though he did finish with a career-high 65.4% completion percentage and had his best season on the ground with 710 yards and six touchdowns.

He brings a lot of experience to the table, and he’ll certainly have his chance to win the starting spot when he arrives on campus for spring practice.

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Pac-12 QB talent dwindles after Jayden Daniels transfers to LSU

Jayden Daniels is the latest in a long line of Pac-12 quarterbacks to depart for greener pastures this offseason.

The quarterback talent in the Pac-12 conference took a hit on Sunday when it was reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel that former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels is planning to transfer east to LSU, where he will immediately compete in spring ball for a chance to start for coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers in the fall.

Daniels is the latest Pac-12 quarterback to leave the conference this offseason, and he’ll likely be replaced at Arizona State by former Alabama backup quarterback Paul Tyson, one of a whopping seven new quarterbacks expected to start for Pac-12 teams this fall.

Some of the “new faces” aren’t new to college football, including Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams, who is set to replace Kedon Slovis at USC, as well as Purdue transfer Jack Plummer (Cal), and of course Oregon is set to host a battle between Ty Thompson and Auburn transfer Bo Nix to replace Anthony Brown.

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Washington may have a new gunslinger as well, with Indiana transfer Michael Penix competing with returners Dylan Morris and Sam Huard, while Incarnate Word superstar Cameron Ward is the new top dog at Washington State, replacing Jayden de Laura who transferred to Arizona to give the Wildcats some stability under center after last year’s debacle.

All this to say – it’s going to be a wild year for offense on the west coast. The Pac-12 has struggled to retain high level quarterback play in recent years, with Justin Herbert being a notable exception, and the rise of the transfer portal and of course NIL opportunities likely means even more movement is coming in the following years.

Whichever teams are able to adapt to steady change, while acquiring high level talent of their own via the portal, will remain near the top of the standings year in and year out.

Oregon fans will hope that new coach Dan Lanning, who so far looks very willing to adapt, can continue to do so over his first few seasons in Eugene.

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