LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels captured the 2023 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the third player in school history to win the award and first since Joe Burrow in ‘19.
Daniels’s special season was capped with winning college football’s most prestigious individual award, and he couldn’t have been more excited and humbled by the honor.
Daniels thanked God, his offensive line, LSU teammates and coaches, Arizona State teammates and coaches, and more, before the gravity of the moment really hit him. Daniels played three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to LSU ahead of the 2022 season.
“This is wild,” Daniels quipped as he took a breath, to chuckles from those in attendance in New York City.
After thanking his trainers and staffers behind the scenes at LSU, Daniels turned to his family.
“Finally, I would like to turn to my family,” Daniels said. “Dad, you put a football in my hands when I was young. I know you raised me to be a corner, but hopefully now the decision to play quarterback paid off,” Daniels added as the crowd erupted in laughter.
Daniels then turned to his mom, calling her his “rock” and telling the story of how nervous she was for his first high school game, but how she had his best interests at heart and wasn’t afraid to give him tough love when he needed it. That didn’t include just on the field, but off of it as well.
“You encouraged me to always better myself because you always believed in me no matter what. I graduated in three years because that’s something you pushed me to do. And here I am now on this stage. I love you, Mom. Thank you,” Daniels said.
Before Daniels closed, he added a message to those who doubted him.
“I want to dedicate this award to every boy or girl who has a dream. With faith and hard work, you never know what’s possible. They said I was too skinny, so I added weight. They said I relied on my legs a little bit too much, so you know what? I went to work. I completed all those passes and had the season I had…they said I was too quiet, so I became more vocal and stepped out of my comfort zone, and now I’m here today.
“So what did I learn from all this? I learned to block out the noise, that you can avoid any obstacle, and just be humble, be legendary and most importantly, be joyful about what you do. When you get knocked down, get back up, keep smiling, and never give up on your dreams.”
A Dream Come True. It’s through faith and hard work.
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 10, 2023
Heisman Winner @JayD__5 pic.twitter.com/GSflVj0icw
Daniels’s season was one for the ages, and his speech certainly lived up to every bit of the hype that his play on the field did.
Daniels completed 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns to four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground for the 9–3 Tigers.
