Brian Kelly challenged LSU QB Jayden Daniels as a passer. Here's how he responded.
Staff writer Every chance Jayden Daniels got the past seven months, he returned to the Los Angeles area. Daniels has his personal coach there at 3DQB, a cutting-edge facility where some of the best quarterbacks in football have gone to fine tune their mechanics. "I try to get there as much as possible," Daniels said at Southeastern Conference media days.
"If we get a little break in, I feel like it's right for me to go out there. " This is not new. Last summer, before his first season as LSU's starting quarterback, Daniels organized a trip to his hometown for LSU's wide receivers.
While they trained together, his 3DQB coach called out the plays and monitored Daniels’ mechanics as he tried to take the next steps in his development. Daniels continued to go back when he could throughout an important offseason. He had returned to LSU for one more year, and he wanted to improve as a downfield passer before his final college season.
LSU approved of the trips. Besides, it needs him to develop in order to compete for a College Football Playoff berth. _______________ FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS FOR LSU PRESEASON PRACTICE Friday, July 28: Are depth concerns going to keep LSU from title contention? Wednesday, Aug.
2: Has Jayden Daniels improved as a downfield passer? Thursday, Aug. 3: Can transfers step into important roles for the second straight year? Friday, Aug. 4: How much will a new approach improve special teams? Saturday, Aug.
5: Can LSU's offense go from efficient to explosive? _______________ Daniels’ first year after transferring from Arizona State ended with the second-most productive season by a quarterback in LSU history behind Joe Burrow’s 2019 Heisman campaign. Daniels gained 3,798 total yards — 2,913 passing — and scored 28 touchdowns while only committing six turnovers. But within those stats, Daniels had rough moments as a passer, often taking off to run.
Head coach Brian Kelly challenged him to push the ball downfield after he threw for 80 yards in a close road win over Auburn. Though Daniels got more aggressive, he averaged 7. 5 yards per completion, the lowest mark of his career.
Now, Daniels believes he will benefit from being in the second year of a system he understands better. Perhaps the second half of the 2022 season provides evidence he can. After Kelly’s challenge, Daniels responded with 300 yards passing in a blowout loss to Tennessee, a turning point in his mind that led to a fantastic stretch against Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama.
In those three straight wins, Daniels completed 71. 7% (66 of 92) of his passes for 779 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Daniels continued to thrive as a runner at the same time, showing how effective he can be when he combines his best attributes.
The rest of the season, Daniels only had one game in which he completed less than 60% of his throws. Daniels should have a solid supporting cast. LSU brought back an experienced offensive line, and the Tigers have talented players at every skill position.
Most of the group already went through a season together, so they shouldn't need time to mesh. If Daniels can play like he did the second half of the year for an entire season while pushing the ball downfield more often, LSU should be in CFP contention. If his development stagnated and there are inconsistencies in the passing game, LSU may not be able to reach its ceiling.
A lot hinges on quarterbacks. Daniels has to show the results of his offseason work. .