Jayden Daniels addresses LSU QB competition, his rumored standing in it
LSU‘s quarterback battle gained more clarity on Monday, with Myles Brennan stepping away from the program and football itself. Two candidates remain, with Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier having around two more weeks to win the job. Of the pair, Daniels is the rumored favorite to win the job.
When Daniels addressed the media, he was asked if head coach Brian Kelly had named him the starting quarterback. He denied any rumors, saying no decision has been made quite yet.
“They haven’t announced anything,” Daniels said.
Daniels then went on to discuss the competition itself, if that’s what you want to call it. He does not view it as one, saying both he and Nussmeier are just trying to help LSU win football games. Leading the offense will be a must when on the field so Daniels is focusing on being a leader.
“Us in the quarterback room, we don’t really look at it as a competition,” said Daniels. “You look at it as an opportunity to go out there, get better, and help the team get better. At the end of the day, we run the offense. Coach is going to be on the sidelines, in the skybox.
“At the end of the day, everything is solely focused on us. We look at it as, how can we help the offense and at the end of the day, everybody is prepared to play be position and prepared to be the starter. That’s what we worked on, that’s the relationship we built to go out there.”
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Just like his head coach, Daniels is in his first year with the LSU program. He has had previous success with Arizona State but has transferred to the SEC in order to boost his chances of getting drafted into the NFL one day. It was always going to be a tough climb to the starting role but for now, Daniels seems to have a beat on the job.
As for Nussmeier, the young quarterback went out of his way to keep a redshirt intact. In the bowl game against Kansas State, the Texas native did not play, maintaining his four years of eligibility. Even if Nussmeier is not named the starter this season, he will have plenty of opportunities down the road.
Kelly is running out of time to decide, with a season-opening matchup against Florida State taking place on Sept. 4. A huge decision is looming for the first-year head coach.