LSU social media commemorates moment Jayden Daniels won The Heisman Trophy

When the Heisman Trophy ceremony begins around 8 p.m. ET, anticipation begins to build. In just over an hour, somebody will have a completely different life. Jayden Daniels waited for the moment and when his name was called, it must have been so sweet.

LSU social media commemorated the exact moment Daniels won the Heisman Trophy, being presented the award on stage. Daniels was sat next to the three other finalists — Marvin Harrison Jr., Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. — waiting for the announcement to be made.

A pause between the phrase “The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is” and “Jayden Daniels” must have felt like an eternity for all of them. Once Daniels heard his name, he immediately put his head down in disbelief before sharing a hug with his fellow finalists.

You can watch the full moment here.

Daniels did shake the hand of ESPN’s Chris Fowler, who gave him a warning on how heavy the Heisman Trophy is. No issue for Daniels though, carrying a lot more than 25 pounds of metal throughout the 2023 season. This was likely the easiest lift in the entire process toward winning the award and joining college football’s exclusive fraternity.

Jayden Daniels narrowly wins Heisman Trophy after historic season

Shortly after Daniels’ speech, ESPN revealed it was the closest Heisman Trophy vote since the 2018 edition when Kyler Murray beat out Tua Tagovailoa. Penix was right behind Daniels, really making it a two-horse race when votes were due last Sunday.

People usually search for a specific moment where a player wins the award but Daniels did not have an exact Heisman moment. Instead, it was about his overall season and what he was able to accomplish. Without having Daniels under center, it’s easy to wonder what Year Two might have looked like for head coach Brian Kelly.

An incredible 50 touchdowns were credited to Daniels this season, with 40 of them coming through the air. He wound up throwing for 3,812 yards and rushing for another 1,134. Nearly every opponent Daniels faced, he wound up shredding them.

Daniels is out of eligibility and will now have to take his talents to the NFL. He has not yet fully decided on whether or not he will play in LSU’s bowl game against Wisconsin on Jan. 1. If he does, Daniels will get one more opportunity to play in the uniform and he will do so as a Heisman Trophy winner.