Jayden Daniels is officially certified.
The 22-year-old LSU quarterback won the 2023 Heisman Trophy on Saturday, as he was announced the recipient from the Appel Room in the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Here is the moment Daniels found out he won:
Daniels beat out three other worthy candidates for the award: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Oregon QB Bo Nix and Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
He became the third Tiger to lift the prestigious award, following halfback Billy Cannon in 1959 and quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019.
NCAAF
Daniels led the Tigers to a 9-3 record while posting some video-game-like numbers through both the run and pass games. The fifth-year quarterback threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four picks on a 72.2% completion percentage. He also rushed for 1,134 yards on 135 carries for 10 yards, good for 8.4 yards per carry, which included an 85-yarder. He was also the first player in FBS history to throw for at least 350 yards and rush for at least 200 yards in the same game.
Harrison Jr., son of former star NFL wideout Marvin Harrison, was the only non-QB from the pack. In his third year with Ohio State, the youngster logged 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. Despite not winning this trophy, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver has all the tools to be a potential top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Nix had led Oregon to an 11-2 record, just shy of the College Football Playoff. He did so while throwing for 4,145 yards, 40 touchdowns and three picks while completing 77.2% of his passes. The fifth-year QB also ran for 228 yards on 53 carries for six touchdowns.
Penix Jr. caught the NCAA spectrum by storm, pioneering the Huskies' 13-0 record that got them into the College Football Playoff as a No. 2 seed in a historic season. Penix Jr. threw for 4,218 yards, 33 touchdowns and nine picks on a 65.9% completion rate. The sixth-year QB will also be one to watch high in the 2024 NFL Draft given his 6-foot-3, 213-pound frame and ability to read the game.
Given to the nation's most outstanding college football player since 1935, the top-four finalists of the coveted trophy are determined by more than 870 voters, a group that includes media members and former Heisman winners.
Daniels collected 503 votes to lead the pack while Penix Jr. came in second with 292. Nix had 51 and Harrison Jr. 20.
USC star Caleb Williams won the award in 2022, but he was not a finalist this time.
