Throughout the 2019 season, Tigers fans were gifted with one of the greatest offenses in college football history. Leading the offense was quarterback Joe Burrow who transferred to LSU two seasons prior. Burrow would take his incredibly successful season and turn himself into the first and only LSU football Heisman Trophy winner since running back Billy Cannon in 1959. Now, the Tigers have yet another former transfer quarterback with his eyes set on the prestigious trophy. Allow me to present: Jayden Daniels.
Caesars Sportsbook sets Jayden Daniels’ odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +1600
If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, preseason Heisman Trophy odds typically mean very little. Still, in this case, they could be on to something. Historically, quarterbacks with running ability have a significant advantage in winning over the hearts of the Heisman voters. With that logic, Jayden Daniels is more than on the right path.
Only adding to his campaign is the fact that Jayden Daniels is part of an LSU football team with a fantastic chance at competing for a national title in 2023. Generally, there are three major factors that give you an advantage in the race for the Heisman Trophy. You want to be a part of a championship contender, you want to be a quarterback and you want to put up some significant stats.
LSU football quarterback Jayden Daniels checks all of the boxes, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising to see him with these kinds of odds. Along with Daniels, there are three other quarterbacks with +1600 odds to win the Heisman Trophy: Quinn Ewers (Texas), Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) and Kyle McCord (Ohio State).
The only players with better odds are Bo Nix (Oregon), Michael Penix Jr (Washington), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jordan Travis (Florida State) and Caleb Williams (USC). According to Caesars Sportsbook, the top-11 Heisman Trophy contenders are all quarterbacks.
History of LSU football and the Heisman Trophy
The most recent to win the Heisman Trophy for the LSU football team was Joe Burrow in 2019. Not only was he incredible, but the offense he was a part of in Baton Rouge might have been the best of all time. To put into context just how good they were, they scored a total of 100 points in the College Football Playoffs. In two games, they outscored their opponents (Oklahoma and Clemson) 100-38.
In his final season with LSU football, Burrow was about as good as it gets. He recorded 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. Without a shadow of a doubt, Burrow was more than deserving of his Heisman Trophy victory.
For most Tiger fans, Burrow was the last and only Heisman Trophy winner they have significant memory of. The reason for that is because the only other Tiger to have won the trophy was running back Billy Cannon in 1959. Cannon was an electric running back for the Tigers, finishing as a Heisman finalist in 1958 and 1959. In his three seasons with LSU football, Cannon recorded 1,867 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.
Jayden Daniels is an electric football player with big play potential every time he touches the ball. Does that mean he’ll ultimately win the Heisman Trophy? Who knows. One thing is for sure, though, he and LSU football have big goals this season and will undoubtedly be looking to make a splash in 2023.
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