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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
FOLLOW ON X @LonnPhillips
On his birthday, LSU Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels announced he will wisely forego his final eligible game as a Tiger and prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft, posting a video on his Instagram and X accounts to detail the decision.
The Garrett Nussmeier era will now begin with a 2024 preview on New Year's Day in Tampa vs Wisconsin, where Nuss will be able to call upon the twin towers of WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr, both juniors also 99.9% likely to be NFL Draft-bound, a frenzy of talented freshmen wide outs waiting in the wings for an opportunity (Shelton Sampson Jr, Jalen Brown, Kyle Parker, Khai Prean), as well as a variety of profiles / different targets at tight end (freshman Ka'morreun Pimpton's hybrid hops, starter Mason Taylor's veteran status, completed by workhorse debutant Mac Markway).
Still, even with some exciting new changes to look forward to on New Year's Day, it's sad to turn the page from the JD5 era.......it's all over....and it felt like it had just begun.
Daniels led LSU's wonder-of-the-world offense as Mike Denbrock & Dean Petzing's pedal to the metal ethos & knowledge of Daniels' developing game created the highest scoring attack in college football (46.4 per game, just 2 shy of LSU's 2019 squad), averaged the most yards per game & per play, passed for the most TDs, assisted Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr's 1,000 yard seasons (combining for 2,625 yards & 29 TDs), and finally, just last week, Daniels capped his 19 career LSU victories by winning a Heisman;
JD5's accomplishments also magnified the greatness of those around him to such a degree there were multiple awards season contenders all over the offense (Mike Denbrock as a Broyles Award finalist, Malik Nabers horribly robbed of the Biletnikoff by just 1 vote, backed by a deserved Joe Moore Award nomination for Brad Davis' O-line.....
.....he arrived, he did all that before most of Tiger Nation even began to appreciate or acknowledge his greatness, and then, on Senior Day vs A&M & on Heisman night, Daniels and Tiger Nation became one for time & all history. Then, just like that, he was gone in a flash....
....for a moment, now frozen in time, from September to December 2023, Jayden Daniels was the baddest dood around college football, a man amongst boys who couldn't be stopped...either as a certified rushing thoroughbred or as a passing accuracy, efficiency, and volume dynamo.
THANK YOU JD5 🙏 💜💛
EPILOGUE: Leaving behind a stunning legacy of perseverance, Daniels was also someone who was loved by his teammates, and on his birthday, Daniels made sure to show another special teammate how much he loves him.
Raising $25,000 for The Greg Brooks Jr Victory Fund alongside Todd Graves of Raising Cane's, Brooks Jr's battle with a brain tumor was mentioned by JD5 at the end of his Heisman speech, while he rocked the "Pray for 3" shirts all season during nearly every post or pre-game press conference.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
FOLLOW ON X @LonnPhillips
©️ 2023 Uninterrupted Writings
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