Before both College Football Playoff semifinal games became the story of the season, fans were treated to an exciting Heisman Trophy race this season.
A handful of players spent time at the top of the leaderboard throughout the year, including Pac-12 quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. By the time voting began, however, a new leading candidate emerged: LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
Daniels surged late in the season despite three losses on his record, dismantling defenses with his rushing ability and his improvement as a passer. Daniels beat out fellow finalists Penix, Nix and Marvin Harrison Jr. on Dec. 9 to become LSU's third Heisman Trophy winner.
Penix put together an impressive season in his own right, and his dominance against Texas in the Sugar Bowl had more than a few fans wondering how Daniels managed to finish ahead of him in Heisman balloting.
MORE: Michael Penix Jr. draft projection
Here's a look back at the voting results and why Daniels got the nod over Penix.
Heisman Trophy voting 2023
| Finish | Player | Pos. | School | Points | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 1 | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU | 2,029 | 503 | 217 | 86 |
| 2 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Washington | 1,701 | 292 | 341 | 143 |
| 3 | Bo Nix | QB | Oregon | 885 | 51 | 205 | 322 |
| 4 | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State | 352 | 20 | 78 | 136 |
| 5 | Jordan Travis | QB | Florida State | 85 | 8 | 19 | 23 |
| 6 | Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama | 73 | 4 | 8 | 45 |
| 7 | Ollie Gordon II | RB | Oklahoma St. | 31 | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| 8 | Cody Schrader | RB | Missouri | 29 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| 9 | Blake Corum | QB | Michigan | 28 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 10 | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan | 21 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
Why didn't Michael Penix Jr. win the Heisman Trophy?
The Heisman Trophy is one of the longest-standing traditions in sports, and it has always been more of a results-based award than an award given to the player with the most talent. While Washington kept winning down the stretch, what ultimately sunk Penix's candidacy was a bit of a sluggish stretch for the lefty quarterback and the Huskies' offense in November.
Penix completed more than 72 percent of passes in each of his first five games in 2023, and he emerged from Washington's first win over Oregon as the odds-on Heisman favorite with 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The final six games of the regular season were less steady for Penix, despite Washington's unbeaten record. He completed 59 percent of passes over that span for 1,598 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
While a win over Oregon in the Pac-12 championship helped move Penix ahead of Nix in the race for the Heisman Trophy, a 319-yard performance with a touchdown and an interception wasn't enough to make up the statistical ground against Daniels.
| CMP% | Yards | TD | INT | |
| First 6 games | 72.1 | 2,301 | 20 | 3 |
| Final 7 games | 59.0 | 1,598 | 12 | 5 |
Had Penix sustained his early-season production, which included six consecutive 300-yard performances to open the year along with four games with at least four touchdowns, there's little doubt the Washington star would have been a Heisman Trophy winner. After all, the race was still the closest of any since 2018, with Penix picking up 292 first-place votes to Daniels' 503.
MORE: How Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy compare, by the numbers
The case for Jayden Daniels
Daniels' numbers were eye-popping. The dual-threat QB totaled 50 touchdowns and threw only four interceptions, completing more than 72 percent of his passes in 2023.
Some made the case that too much of Daniels' production came against far inferior opponents. There was some validity to that suggestion. 34 percent of Daniels' touchdowns came against Grambling State, Army, and Georgia State. He accounted for eight TDs alone against Georgia State as LSU resisted pulling him out despite a massive lead.
Still, it's not as though Daniels didn't perform against SEC teams. He rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown in about three quarters of work against Alabama and posted a stunning 606 yards of offense plus five touchdowns against Florida the very next week.
When it came time for Daniels to make one final Heisman statement, he threw for 235 yards and four touchdowns on 16 completions against Texas A&M while rushing for an additional 120 yards.
Here is a complete look at Daniels' stats from the 2023 season.
| Games | 12 |
| Completion rate | 72.2% |
| Pass yards | 3,812 |
| Pass TD | 40 |
| INT | 4 |
| Rush yards | 1,134 |
| Rush TD | 10 |
| YPC | 8.4 |
For as much as raw arm talent as Penix has, it's nearly impossible for any quarterback to throw for only 12 touchdowns over their final seven games and still win the Heisman Trophy. That shouldn't take away from Penix's place in history as a once-forgotten, often-injured quarterback at Indiana who improbably took Washington to the national championship game.
Winning the College Football Playoff and leaving Washington as a national champion would undoubtedly make up for narrowly missing out on the sport's top individual award in Penix's eyes.
