Awaiting Daniels’ decision, LSU quarterback tending to personal matters
Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, December 6, 2023
There’s still no word on whether LSU star quarterback will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Daniels, who could very well be the Heisman Trophy winner by the time the No. 13 Tigers (9-3) play Wisconsin (7-5) in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 1, was gone most of last week due to a death in his family, head coach Brian Kelly said, while Kelly was conducting interviews with most of the other team members.
“Unfortunately he was gone,” Kelly said of Daniels, who is one of four finalists for the Heisman, which will be awarded Saturday night in New York. “I spoke with him (Monday). He clearly knows the pros and cons of his decision, and I do too. Who wouldn’t want him to play? Everybody would love to see Daniels play one last time.
“I’m a fan. I’m his coach and I’m a big fan of Jayden Daniels. But he’s got to make a decision. Clearly, I see both sides of it. We’ve got to provide him with all the things necessary for him to make an informed decision.
“But he hasn’t gotten to that level yet.”
LSU will start practices Monday, after Daniels returns from the Heisman ceremony.
As of Tuesday, LSU has had four players enter the NCAA transfer portal, none of whom played a major role this season — running backs Armoni Goodwin and Tre Bradford, defensive lineman Bryce Langston and cornerback Latterrance Welch.
There likely will be others, although Malik Nabers, a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver, said after the Texas A&M game on Nov. 25 that he planned to play in the bowl game.
Nabers is LSU’s all-time leading receiver.
“I think we have a really good sense of the players that will be available for the bowl game,” Kelly said. “But for me to stand here and tell you what those players are doing, I couldn’t do that. That information will come out in the next week or so.”
Kelly also said the status of defensive backs Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut hasn’t changed. They remain on the team but are not participating in workouts.
“We’re going to wait until the end of the semester and have conversations with both of them,” Kelly said.
