LSU QB Jayden Daniels Tops Field to Win Heisman Trophy

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For the second year in a row and the fifth time in the past seven years, a transfer quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy.

LSU's Jayden Daniels, who began his college career at Arizona State before transferring to Baton Rouge in 2022, won the sport's most prestigious individual award Saturday night after accounting for 4,946 yards of offense (3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards) and 50 total touchdowns this season.

Daniels received 503 first-place votes and 2,029 total points to beat out two fellow transfer quarterbacks in Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (292 first place, 1,701 total) and Oregon 's Bo Nix (51 first place, 885 total), as well as Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (20 first place, 352 total) in a ceremony held at Lincoln Center in New York City. Florida State's Jordan Travis placed fifth after receiving eight first-place votes for 85 total points.

Daniels' 328-point margin of victory over Penix marked the closest Heisman voting since 2018, when Oklahoma's Kyler Murray won with 2,167 points over Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's 1,871.

Daniels said winning the Heisman was "a dream come true."

"I want to thank all my teammates, from Arizona State to LSU," Daniels said. "You're my brothers. You work so hard every day, inspiring me to be my best."

Daniels, a 22-year-old from San Bernardino, California, is the first player since 2016 to win the Heisman as part of a team that did not play for a conference title. The No. 13 Tigers will play Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1, though Daniels has not yet decided if he will play.

Daniels is the third LSU player to win the Heisman (Billy Cannon in 1959 and Joe Burrow in 2019) as well as the third straight quarterback to win the award and the seventh in the past eight years.