We now know the winner of the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels beat out a pair of prolific passers in Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix, in addition to Ohio State huge receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., to safe the award for essentially the most excellent participant in faculty soccer this season.
As mirrored within the closing voting, it got here right down to the three quarterbacks. Daniels edged out Penix on the prime of the board, with Nix ending third and Harrison in fourth.
All three quarterbacks put up prodigious numbers this season. In actual fact, utilizing information compiled from CFB Stats, here’s a comparability of all three quarterbacks and a few passing, and dashing, numbers:
Heisman Comparability
| Participant | Completion Proportion | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Ranking | Dashing Makes an attempt | Yards | Touchdowns | Explosive Performs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant | Completion Proportion | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Ranking | Dashing Makes an attempt | Yards | Touchdowns | Explosive Performs |
| Jayden Daniels | 72.2 | 3,812 | 40 | 4 | 208.01 | 135 | 1,134 | 10 | 135 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 65.9 | 4,218 | 33 | 9 | 161.43 | 29 | -18 | 3 | 113 |
| Bo Nix | 77.2 | 4,145 | 40 | 3 | 186.24 | 53 | 228 | 6 | 107 |
All three quarterbacks have a stat or two that they may level to when making an attempt to bolster their case. Nix might level to his effectivity numbers, his near-record completion proportion on the season, and simply the three interceptions he threw on the 12 months. For Penix, he led the three in yardage whereas guiding the Washington Huskies to the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
However the place Daniels separated himself is close to the top of the column. Not solely did he throw for the 40 touchdowns, tying Nix among the many three, however if you consider what he did as a runner — and the way he led the trio in explosive performs — you possibly can see the place the LSU quarterback set himself aside.
That closing column, “Explosive Performs,” incorporates passing performs of greater than 15 yards, and dashing performs of greater than ten yards. To interrupt that down additional, listed below are their numbers in every class:
Penix: 112 passes of 15 or extra yards, one run of greater than ten yards
Nix: 97 passes of 15 or extra yards, ten runs of greater than ten yards
Daniels: 94 passes of 15 or extra yards, 41 runs of greater than ten yards
Whereas Penix had the lead among the many three when it got here to creating explosive performs within the passing recreation, the place Daniels really set himself aside was as a whole quarterback, and the way he generated explosive performs as each a runner, and a passer.
So whereas all three of them have been more likely to create explosive performs within the passing recreation, like this from Daniels in opposition to Texas A&M:
Daniels additionally created moments like this, which have been few and much between for the opposite two:
Daniels’ skill to create explosive performs in each the passing recreation, and the operating recreation, set him aside this season.
In actual fact, not simply this season, however the previous 5 seasons:
Most performs of 20+ yards in a P5 single season over final 5 years:
90 – Jayden Daniels (2023, 12 gms)
87 – Joe Burrow (2019, 15 gms)
82 – Jalen Hurts (2019, 14 gms)
75 – Kenny Pickett (2021, 13 gms)
75 – Bryce Younger (2021, 15 gms)
73 – Caleb Williams (2022, 14 gms)— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 27, 2023
The Heisman is awarded to the “most excellent participant in faculty soccer,” and never the perfect passer.
Though frankly, Daniels may need had a robust case beneath that standards as nicely.
We can have all winter, and spring, to debate the draft profiles of all three quarterbacks, however on this night time, because of his skill as a dual-threat weapon and talent to create explosive performs, Daniels stood tallest.
