CNN –
Louisiana State University quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday night.
As one of four finalists, Daniels beat fellow quarterbacks Bo Nix from Oregon and Michael Penix Jr. from Washington, as well as Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., to win the most coveted individual award in college football.
Daniels came to LSU after transferring from Arizona State University in 2022. He is the third player in school history to win the award and the first since Joe Burrow in 2019.
“This is a dream come true,” Daniels said after his win, thanking his coaches, teammates and family and telling his fellow finalists he would look forward to seeing them on Sunday.
The 22-year-old finished his senior season at LSU with 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 1,134 rushing yards and another 10 touchdowns on the ground.
En route to a Heisman Trophy-winning season, Daniels, among other accomplishments, led the nation in total offense with 4,946 yards in 12 games and an NCAA record 208.01 passers percentage.
In November, after a win against Florida, the San Bernardino, California native became the first player in FBS history to pass for more than 350 yards and rush for more than 200 yards in a single game. In the game, he set the record for total offense with 606 yards, including 234 rushing yards and 372 passing yards.
Following his record-setting night, Daniels tied the school record for most touchdowns in a game a week later when he recorded eight touchdowns, six passing and two rushing, in a win over Georgia State.
With his 50 touchdowns this season, Daniels made a name for himself as one of only five players in SEC history to achieve that feat. He joined Burrow (63), Florida's Tim Tebow (55), Auburn's Cam Newton (51) and Alabama's Bryce Young (50) – all of whom were named Heisman Trophy winners.
In addition to the Heisman Trophy, Daniels was also named the winner of the 2023 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the AP College Football Player of the Year, the Walter Camp and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award following the season in which he led the award No. 13 Tigers with a 9-3 record and a berth in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl.
The Heisman is the pinnacle of a college football player's individual achievement. From legendary quarterbacks like Matt Leinart and Roger Staubach to explosive running backs like Bo Jackson and Barry Sanders, the list of Heisman Trophy winners reads like a who's who of college football.
Here's everything you need to know about the other 2023 finalists.
A career in football was always a possibility for Marvin Harrison Jr. considering who his father is.
His father is Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, and the young man has carried on the name of the “explosive, dominant wide receiver” family with flying colors.
The 1.90 meter tall 21-year-old had a successful 2023 season and finished with 1,211 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns – he is second nationally for most touchdown receptions.
In his three seasons with the Buckeyes, he was one of the most productive pass catchers in all of college football and etched himself into the program's history books.
According to Ohio State, Harrison Jr. is sixth all-time in receptions (155), sixth in receiving yards (2,613), first in 100-yard games (15) and third in touchdown catches (31) in program history.
On Friday, he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award – given to the best wide receiver in college football – and has already won the Big Ten Conference's Offensive Player of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year honors.
He is the first player to have multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons for Ohio State. His streak of eight consecutive games with a touchdown reception and eight 100-yard games this season are both school records.
If Harrison Jr. had won Saturday night, he would have been the eighth Heisman winner in Ohio State history, giving the Buckeyes the most wins in college football.
Although he is reportedly still undecided on whether to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison Jr. has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the college game.
Bo Nix climaxed at the last moment.
In his fifth and final season as a member of the Oregon Ducks, Nix had his best season to date, leading his program to a No. 8 ranking with an 11-2 record and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.
In his second year at Oregon, the 23-year-old quarterback leads the country with a 77.2% completion rate, meaning he is within touching distance of Mac Jones' NCAA single-season record of 77.4%, which he set in 2020 one last game left.
According to Oregon's website, Nix ranks second nationally in most passing statistics in college football – including passing yards per game, passing yards, passer rating and total touchdowns – as he completes “one of the greatest seasons in program history.”
Nix's Heisman nomination was the culmination of a veteran college football career, having previously transferred from Auburn to Oregon.
Despite playing just two seasons at Oregon, Nix – the most experienced starting quarterback in NCAA history with 60 career starts – ranks third in program history in career passing touchdowns (69) and third in career rushing touchdowns of a quarterback (20) and fifth in completions (630), fifth in passing yards (7,738) and the Heisman finalist is tied for seventh in wins (21).
He was aiming to become the second member of the Ducks to win the award, following Marcus Mariota in 2014.
Another transfer student – who arrived from Indiana in late December 2021 – Michael Penix Jr. has helped lead the Washington Huskies to a remarkable offense.
The Huskies finished with a 13-0 record, the Pac-12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, where they will face the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, Penix Jr. led from the front, directing the team's offense with his big arm and becoming the nation's leader in the passing game. Penix Jr. finished 2023 with 4,218 passing yards and 33 passing touchdowns.
He has a 24-2 record in his two seasons as the team's starter and is looking to bring Washington a national championship for the third time.
Penix Jr. hoped to become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Washington history. He joins Steve Emtman – who finished fourth in the voting in 1991 – as the only Huskies to be named a finalist.