David Pollack states Jayden Daniels could make LSU feared in the SEC West
LSU won the SEC West last season in what was Brian Kelly’s first run in Baton Rouge. However, David Pollack believes they could command the division again if Tiger QB Jayden Daniels takes another step in his development.
Pollack spoke highly about Daniels and LSU during an appearance on ‘Always College Football’ on Monday. That praise wasn’t always his opinion, specifically on Daniels, though, based on what he saw from him in his first game after transferring in from Arizona State.
“Jayden Daniels, man? I remember watching the first game last year. I remember thinking, ‘He ain’t got a clue how to play quarterback,’” said Pollack. “Like, he did not know how to sit in the pocket, go through progressions, and really make you pay. With all these weapons on the outside, all this speed? I’m like, dude, if you would just be patient and go through it!”
With that said, he, like everyone else, saw the progression that Daniels made as he became more comfortable at LSU. By the end of the year, he finished with nearly 3,000 passing yards and 17 touchdowns on a 68.6% completion rate as well as 885 rushing yards for 11 more scores.
If that’s who Daniels is from the Tiger’s opening kickoff in Orlando next weekend? Pollack expects that he’ll also have LSU at the top of the SEC West again while he himself could also be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
“At the end of the season, you started to see that. Less scrambling for his life, he started to have a better feel for the game, started to make more plays down the field,” said Pollack. “Like, if that guy takes the next step? And, listen, he’s second on the Heisman list as favorites. That gives you an idea because he had 800 yards scrambling. He’s going to do a lot of damage with his feet.”
“If they take that next leap, if he takes that next leap and finishes where he starts off? I think LSU would be the team in the West that I would probably be most scared of,” Pollack stated.
LSU has already put together quite a program and roster in Kelly’s short time in the SEC. Even so, Pollack sees Daniels, especially with the other quarterback questions around the country, as the icing on their cake that could make them a true contender in 2023.
“Last year was the first year of building something special. Now you get to add a recruiting class on top of it, you’ve got a ton of guys returning? I think you’ve got some upper-echelon talent where you know exactly what they are, you’ve got a quarterback spot that’s solidified,” said Pollack. “That’s why I might lean towards LSU over Alabama.”