Brian Kelly not surprised by strong performance from Jayden Daniels against Florida

On3 imageby:Wade Peery10/16/22

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels had an electrifying performance against the Florida Gators on Saturday night, completing 22 of 32 passes for 349 yards, while tossing in three touchdowns and no interceptions. On the ground, he ran 14 times for 44 rushing yards, while scoring three touchdowns. It was by far, the best performance of his college football career thus far and it also showcased just how much potential the dynamic dual-threat has in the future. His magnificent performance helped lift the LSU Tigers to a 45-35 win over Florida. Following the game, Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly said he was not surprised by the way his quarterback played.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

LSU head coach Brian Kelly was not surprised about the masterful performance

A reporter asked Kelly if he thought there was anything he’d seen from Daniels recently that made him believe a performance like the one on Saturday night was coming.

“Absolutely. Of course. [pauses]. I mean, we were hoping that he was gonna be more assertive with the football and push it down the field. He’s seeing things a lot better. The offense is coming to him. It’s a new offense that he’s in. And it’s slowing down for him. And obviously, throwing for three and rushing for three, you saw what his athletic ability and his ability to move this offense,” Kelly said.

Then, a reporter asked Kelly what he thought helped to “flip the switch” for Daniels on Saturday night.

“It’s been a process of him being more confident and comfortable within the offensive structure. Knowing where people are. And you know, I’ve gotta tell ya, the receivers played at a level that I think they’re capable of. That obviously, has a lot to do with it as well. But, assertiveness is confidence in who you’re throwing to and confidence in yourself. And I think you’re seeing that just happen through the relationships that he’s building with the players on the team. He’s new to this group. And I think that’s just the maturation that’s occurring,” Kelly said.

Daniels was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal for a reason. He showed exactly why Saturday night. Simply put, he’s one of the most electrifying players to watch in college football and it’ll be fun to watch him continue to develop the rest of this year and beyond.

During the 2021 season for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Daniels completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,221 yards, while tossing in 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. As a runner, he rushed 119 times for 670 yards, while scoring six touchdowns on the ground.