BATON ROUGE, La. — Hours after being named as a finalist for the Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jayden Daniels was announced as the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award on Thursday.
It is the first national honor for Daniels, who is up for several of college football's most prestigious accolades, including the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.
The five-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week this year is the third LSU quarterback to win the award, following Heisman winner Joe Burrow in 2019 and Manning Award-winner JaMarcus Russell in 2006.
The record-setting Daniels leads the nation in total offense with 412.2 yards per game. He leads the FBS in TD passes with 40 and he’s rushed for another 10 for a nation’s best 50 TDs responsible for.
Daniels has thrown 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 Manning Award recipient Johnny Manziel as the only player in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
The LSU offense also features the nation’s leader in receiving yards in Biletnikoff Award finalist Malik Nabers and the top two touchdown producers at wide receiver in Brian Thomas (15) along with Nabers (14).
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