College football is changing rapidly.
More than 1,000 Division I players entered the transfer portal within a week of it opening in December. Some of these players will get lost in the shuffle. Others may reach the pinnacle of the sport.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is looking to become the third player in program history to win the Heisman Trophy when the winner of the award is announced…
Three of the last five Heisman Trophy winners were transfers and three of this year’s four finalists are at their second school.
LSU is no stranger to passing on quarterback success, either.
Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy at LSU in 2019 after spending three years at Ohio State. Now, Jayden Daniels is looking to do the same after transferring to LSU after three years at Arizona State.
There’s always a risk that comes with a move, but for Daniels and other high-level quarterbacks, the decision was career-changing.
“Life has unknowns, there are other good football players, so you get into uncomfortable environments,” Daniels said. “Everyone’s journey is different. And obviously it worked for three out of the four finalists this year.
Daniels’ journey was different from Burrow’s. Both spent three seasons at their previous school, but Daniels came to LSU with three years of starting experience.
For Daniels, the move came while he was looking for a fresh start. Arizona State’s program was on a downward spiral and Daniels’ on-field production declined from his freshman season.
The risk came when he entered a situation at LSU that guaranteed him nothing. Not only did he join the program at the beginning of the rebuild, but he had to compete with other returning players for the quarterback job.
There are countless examples in college football of quarterbacks who moved into a similar situation and saw their careers fizzle out. But with Daniels’ experience, he got the nod over Myles Brennan and Garrett Nussmeyer.
What followed was an SEC West championship, a chance for 10 straight seasons and a potential Heisman for Daniels.
LSU’s offense was rolling.
The other two finalists at quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, also made their way to the top of college football through the transfer portal. Nix looked for a fresh start at Oregon after going through two coaching searches at Auburn. Penix suffered a devastating knee injury at Indiana before taking his talents to Seattle and starring in Washington.
“It’s definitely a big decision,” Penix said of entering the transfer portal. “You’re really betting on yourself when it comes to that.”
The success of Daniels and other notable quarterbacks has changed the way teams build their rosters and how players make career decisions.
Power Five starters like Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward and Will Rogers are a few of the quarterbacks who make up this year’s gateway class and are part of the growing culture of movement and faux-free agency in college football.
With Daniels ineligible, LSU once again faces the decision of whether to hand the reins over to Nussmeier, the incumbent who has waited his turn in the program, or pursue another option outside the transfer portal.
“The most important thing here is what is in the best interest of the LSU football program. Not what is in the best interest of the individual person,” Brian Kelly said when asked about pursuing a quarterback in the transfer portal. “So everything we do in the portals will come down to that.” the aim. As I mentioned regarding coaches, it’s not personal.
This creates a difficult decision for Kelly and many coaches in college football. With the ability to move from one experienced midfielder to another from year to year, some find the choice easy.
However, it can discourage top high school quarterbacks from signing with these schools, knowing that their school would prefer to select an experienced transfer when it comes to competing for the starting job.
In 2019, LSU football made history, creating a season that was, statistically, close to perfect. Led by NFL star quarterback Joe Burrow…
That’s the situation LSU faces with a quarterback like Nussmeier who has sat behind different players, waiting for his opportunity as he develops. But if LSU goes the other way, there will be no shortage of talented quarterbacks to choose from.
Quarterbacks in the transfer portal appear to be the future of successful college football programs. It remains to be seen how this impacts the way teams employ the position long-term, but what Daniels, Burrow and countless others have accomplished in recent years sets a successful precedent at LSU and throughout the sport.
In recent years, college football has seen a growing prominence of quarterbacks as the standout players on the field. This trend is clearly evident in the Heisman Trophy finalists, where quarterbacks have consistently dominated the list. These elite athletes not only demonstrate their exceptional skill and leadership abilities, but also highlight the shifting landscape of college football towards a quarterback-centric game. As we look at the Heisman finalists and their impact on the sport, it becomes clear that quarterbacks are playing a more pivotal role in the success of their teams than ever before.