Several quarterbacks expected to go early on in the 2024 NFL Draft have announced their intent to skip their respective bowl games, and LSU's Jayden Daniels is among the latest to do so.
Daniels is one of the great transfer-portal success stories in the past couple of years that have seen some very notable ones at quarterback like Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix.
Here's everything to know about why Daniels is not playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl and who will take his place.
Why Jayden Daniels isn't playing for LSU in ReliaQuest Bowl
Daniels is not playing for LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl because he has officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, which he made official when he announced it Dec. 18 with a social media video.
Forever LSU! Thank You!💜💛 pic.twitter.com/4bWi2LleeQ
— Jayden (@JayD__5) December 18, 2023
In addition to avoiding injury, he'll use this time to prepare for the next stage of his career.
Daniels, 23, experienced a major upswing in his time at LSU, finding new success as a passer in addition to what he was already known to be able to do with his legs.
Between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Daniels won 19 of his 26 starts. The former Arizona State QB went 502-for-715 passing for 6,725 yards and 57 touchdowns with a mere seven interceptions.
Since cleaning things up through the air, Daniels, who also carried the ball 321 times for 2,019 yards and 21 scores, now qualifies as a true dual-threat quarterback. Daniels is projected to be an early-round draft pick with a strong possibility of being one of the first 10 picks of the first round.
Daniels received plenty of recognition for his accomplishments over the course of his college career, taking home the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and SEC Offensive Player of the Year in addition to several others.
Who is LSU's starting quarterback for the ReliaQuest Bowl?
Without Daniels, the Tigers will move forward with backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who was once thought to have the highest ceiling in LSU's quarterback room, though he has had ups and downs despite having all the talent and the arm strength and accuracy to get the job done.
The former four-star recruit is is 17-for-33 passing for 196 yards this season. In limited action in his career, he's stuck with LSU instead entering the transfer portal, where he would receive an abundance of attention.
“It matters to me to wear this state on my chest,” he said. “I think it means something to a lot of guys on our team. I was born in Lake Charles (La.) My family is in Lake Charles. Being a kid who moved around so much — Louisiana was the only constant in my life and every time I would cross over the border into this state, it felt like home.”
In three years, he's completed 56.3 percent of his passing attempts for 1,325 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions.
