Former Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels Transfers To LSU, Will Be Eligible Immediately

The quarterback situation in the SEC just went up a notch on Sunday night, with former Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels committing to LSU. The Tigers have now added another piece to the quarterback room that will be full of competition once spring practice begins later this month.

LSU released a statement on Sunday evening, with Brian Kelly commenting on the addition of Daniels. 

“Jayden is an outstanding player who will make our quarterback room even stronger,” Kelly said. “He’s a playmaker with a strong arm and the ability to make plays with his feet. We are excited to welcome Jayden to our program as we continue to build a roster of student-athletes who will compete for championships on the field and work just as hard in the classroom to earn their degree.”

Daniels entered the transfer portal on February 18th, leaving behind a program that's been dealing with controversy over the past year. The pickup gives Brian Kelly another talented arm to compete for the starting job, as Kelly enters his first season at the helm in Baton Rouge. Daniels will be competing with redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier, Walker Howard and the returning Myles Brennan.

Daniels is a graduate transfer, which means he will be competing for the starting job in spring practice and not have to wait for the summer semester to arrive. He led the Pac-12 in completion percentage at 65.4 as he connected on 197-of-301 passes. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and QB coach Joe Sloan have themselves a room filled with talent, which will make the competition even better over the next six months heading into Fall camp.

The former Arizona State quarterback threw for 2,943 yards, 17 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions during his freshman season. He started every game but one at Arizona State since arriving in 2019. His 2020 season was shortened to only four games due to Covid, but he played in 13 games last season, throwing for 2,381 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

He is extremely talented and will give a boost to the already crowded quarterback room at LSU. At one point over the last few weeks, there were rumors that he might end up transferring to Missouri and playing for Eli Drinkwitz. But in the end, he decided to pick another SEC school that will most likely put him in a spot to be a conference star, if he were to win the job.

The 6-foot-3, 184-pound dual-threat quarterback will have every single opportunity needed to win the starting job in Baton Rouge. We will see how this affects the decisions of the other QBs at LSU once spring practice is over and conversations are had with the coaching staff.

One thing is certain, Brian Kelly didn't bring Jayden Daniels in to ride the bench or just provide competition.

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