LSU officially signs transfer QB Jayden Daniels from Arizona State
With four scholarships remaining to fill its class, the LSU coaches made a move on Sunday by adding another quarterback to the mix.
The Tigers landed Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels, who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in mid February.
ESPN's Pete Thamel was the first to report the commitment. LSU announced Daniels signing shortly after.
“Jayden is an outstanding player who will make our quarterback room even stronger,” Brian Kelly said Sunday after in a release about Daniels' signing. “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 will be eligible for spring practice and will be in Baton Rouge in the next few weeks, per ESPN.
The former four-star QB passed for 6,025 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career with Arizona State, while rushing for 1,288 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Daniels, a native of San Bernardino, Calif., led Arizona State to an 8-5 mark and an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2021. He threw for 2,380 yards and 10 touchdowns and added another 710 yards and six scores on the ground. He led the Pac-12 in completion percentage at 65.4 as he connected on 197-of-301 passes.
In 2019, Daniels became the first true freshman quarterback in Arizona State history to start a season-opener for the Sun Devils. He capped his rookie season throwing for 2,943 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He added 355 rushing yards and three TDs in leading Arizona State to an 8-5 mark and win over Florida State in the Sun Bowl.
Arizona State played just four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, going 2-2. Daniels threw for 701 yards and five touchdowns to go with 223 rushing yards and four scores.
Daniels was a highly-ranked four-star prospect and the No. 2-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class just behind Spencer Rattler.
Brian Kelly & Co. will now have a few options in the quarterback room with the addition of Daniels to go along with an experienced Myles Brennan, redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and five-star freshman Walker Howard.
LSU has signed the following players out of the portal: OT Miles Frazier; LS Slade Roy; CB Mekhi Garner; S Joe Foucha; CB Greg Brooks Jr.; RB Noah Cain; WR Kyren Lacy; LB West Weeks; P Jay Bramblett; OL Tre'Mond Shorts; DT Mekhi Wingo; CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse; LB Kolbe Fields
Mike Farrell’s Take: Daniels is a tricky one because he started off his career so well and has since regressed so I put him in the Adrian Martinez category with perhaps a bit more upside. But make no mistake, this is not an entry that has every program in the country searching for a spot. He will have some Power Five interest and a ton at the Group of Five level and has to be careful who he chooses because he's not a surefire starter.