Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from LSU, has been honored with the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s James J. Corbett Award, recognizing him as the top male amateur athlete in Louisiana. The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee announced this on Tuesday.
During the 2023 season, Daniels set numerous records at LSU, earning prestigious accolades such as the Heisman Trophy, The Associated Press Player of the Year, the Manning Award, and several first-team All-America honors.
Daniels is the 14th LSU football player to receive the Corbett Award since it was established in 1967.
“It’s truly an honor to be named the winner of the Corbett Award as the top amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana,” Daniels expressed. “I owe a great deal to LSU and the state of Louisiana for welcoming me with open arms when I transferred here from Arizona State nearly three years ago. LSU and coach Kelly gave me the chance to grow as a player and to build my identity beyond football.
“This honor wouldn’t be possible without my incredible teammates and coaches. I’m very thankful for their support, friendship, and the memories we created. I love everything about LSU and Louisiana, and I am humbled to join the list of great athletes who have previously won this award.”
Daniels, LSU’s third Heisman Trophy winner (following Billy Cannon in 1959 and Joe Burrow in 2019), had an outstanding senior season. He led the nation in total offense with 4,946 yards, ranked second in passing touchdowns with 40, and fifth in passing yards with 3,812. He also led all quarterbacks with 1,134 rushing yards.
His average of 412.2 total yards per game was higher than that of 85 FBS teams, and his 50 total touchdowns surpassed the total scored by 91 teams this year.
“It’s exciting to know that that guy’s on your team, first of all,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said after one of Daniels’ record-setting performances. “And then there’s this sense of whatever you call, it’s going to be executed.”
Daniels scored at least four touchdowns in nine games and joined Burrow as the only players in LSU history to achieve the 500-yard mark in three games in a season. Overall, Daniels surpassed 400 yards in six games in 2023.