BATON ROUGE, La. — In a heartfelt message to LSU fans on social media Monday, recently crowned Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels announced he would skip the Tigers' upcoming bowl game and instead turn his attention toward the NFL Draft.
The announcement came approximately 12 hours into his 23rd birthday (Dec. 18).
The Arizona State transfer, who lit up the LSU record books en route to becoming only the third player in school history to win the Heisman, said transferring to Baton Rouge "brought back his joy for football."
"I want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen, but all great things must come to an end," Daniels said in the video. "I feel better about the state of the program with the quarterback moving forward. No matter what, I promise this will not be the last time y'all see 'That Kid' around, because this is my city and my second home.
"I love y'all, and I'm proud to be a California bayou boy. Five out," Daniels signed off referencing his No. 5 jersey.
Currently, ESPN NFL insider Mel Kiper Jr. has the LSU senior ranked as the third-best quarterback in the draft and has high as a No. 4 overall pick in 2024.
Prior to winning the Heisman, Daniels won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award, as well as the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Davey O'Brien awards, plus many others.
At the conclusion of the regular season, Daniels led the nation in total offense with 412.2 yards per game, touchdown passes with 40 and he rushed for another 10 for a nation’s best 50 TDs.
Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, connecting on 236-of-327 passes with only four interceptions, and rushed for 1,134 yards on 135 carries. He joined former Heisman winner – and fellow Manning Award finalist – Johnny Manziel as the only player in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
On Sunday, multiple sources said junior Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt is turning pro and will forgo the Green Wave's Military Bowl game in Annapolis to begin preparing for the Senior Bowl in February.
No. 13 LSU (9-3) will most probably turn to redshirt sophomore quarterback Garrett Nussmeier when the Tigers play Wisconsin (7-5) in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 1, 2024.
Nussmeier is the son of former Saints quarterback Doug Nussmeier, and was 52-of-84 for 800 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games played last year.
In spot duty this season behind Daniels, Nussmeier was 29-of-57 for 329 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.
