WASHINGTON — The Washington Commanders have their new quarterback and he comes in the form of former LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was born and raised in San Bernadino, California, playing at Cajon High School where he started all four seasons amassing career statistics of 14,000 passing yards and 170 touchdowns, both of which are conference records.
Daniels was a five-year player in college, playing three years at Arizona State (2019-2021) and was named Sun Bowl MVP in 2019. He transferred to LSU in 2022 where he was named the starter before the season. Daniels’ best season was his final season, where he totaled 3,812 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns, over 1000 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns.
The 6’4” Daniels didn’t throw or run at the NFL Combine, instead opting to throw at his Pro Day at LSU in March.
9 things we learned from the Pro Day in Tiger Country:
- Jayden Daniels is very familiar with the Commanders, mentioning that the new regime with Kliff Kingsbury being quarterback friendly while Dan Quinn is a "player's coach."
- LSU has many pro prospects, with over 125 credentialed media members in attendance.
- Jayden Daniels relaxes with a basketball. Before he started his portion of the Pro Day, he was holding a basketball the whole time.
- The Commanders brass is very busy. They were in Los Angeles last week for Caleb Williams' Pro Day at USC. Earlier this week they were at the NFL Owners meetings in Orlando. On Wednesday they're in Louisiana, and headed to North Carolina for Drake Maye's Pro Day on Thursday.
- Commander's Head Coach Dan Quinn is easy to root for. He was very open about agreeing to talk with WUSA9 on camera about the entire process (without giving away trade secrets.)
- The New England Patriots are serious about finding a QB, they sent 9 people from their staff to watch Daniels' workouts.
- Jayden's teammate WR Malik Nabers, who is predicted to be a first-round pick, ran a 4.35 forty yard dash, had a vertical jump of 42 inches, 8 inches higher than anyone jumped during the drills, and had a hand measurement of 9 7/8. His glove size is 4X. That's what we in the biz call HUGE!
- LSU head coach Brian Kelly told me the NFL is getting a class individual, and if you're worried about Daniels' size at 6-3 5/8ths, and 210 lbs, don't be. It worked out for Lamar Jackson and Pat Mahomes who aren't exactly giants.
- Finally, gumbo and alligator bites are a must have when you're in Louisiana!
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.