BATON ROUGE, La. — While 13th-ranked LSU (9-3 overall, 6-2 SEC) awaits an invitation to go bowling in the post-season, quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers are topping the list of Tigers being considered for some of college football's most prestigious awards.
Daniels, who is widely considered a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, has been named as a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year.
According to the school, the record-setting LSU signal-caller 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 became only the fifth player in SEC history to reach the 50-touchdown mark in a season, joining Burrow (63), Tim Tebow (55), Cam Newton (51) and Bryce Young – all Heisman Trophy winners.
He has accounted for at least four TDs in nine games this year, one shy of the school record and he’s reached the 400-yard mark in total offense six times. He joined Burrow as the only player in LSU history to have three 500-yard games of total offense in a season.
He's also the nation’s leading rusher for a player at his position, totaling 1,134 yards on 135 carries. His 8.4 yards per carry is the best in the FBS for a player with at least 100 rushing attempts.
Overall, Daniels has thrown for 3,812 yards, connecting on 236-of-327 passes with only four interceptions. He joined Johnny Manziel as the only player in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Manziel did it in 2012 and won the Heisman Trophy that year.
The Maxwell Award is presented to the collegiate player of the year.
Meanwhile, the Davey O'Brien Award is presented annually since 1981 to college football's best quarterback. Former LSU national champion quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow won both awards in 2019.
Other finalists for both awards include Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
Daniels is also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm.
The LSU offense also features the nation’s leader in receiving yards Malik Nabers and the top two touchdown producers at wide receiver Brian Thomas (15) and Nabers (14).
With that, Nabers was named as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation announced on Tuesday that Nabers joins fellow finalists Rome Odunze (Washington) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State).
LSU has had two Biletnikoff Award winners in its history – Josh Reed in 2001 and Ja’Marr Chase in 2019.
Winners of the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 8 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN. The Davey O'Brien Award will be presented on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
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