College football has introduced fans to many young talents and Jayden Daniels is one of them. Born in December 2000, the quarterback has won many hearts with his performance. He began playing football at Arizona State University in 2019. However, he joined Louisiana State University last year and has now won the Heisman Trophy.
Jayden Daniels defeated the University of Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. to win the Heisman Trophy in 2023. Notably, the QB has become LSU‘s second player to win the prestigious award. Before his, NFL star Joe Burrow won it in 2019. The LSU star’s HC Brian Kelly took to X to express his happiness in Daniels’ win.
“Proud of That Kid! The best player in the country and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner,” he wrote.
Considering his talent, the California-born star truly deserved the win. However, the father of Jayden Daniels had a huge part to play in making him a successful footballer.
Who is the father of Jayden Daniels?
Jayden Daniels has been passionate about the sport since he was a kid. It was his father Javon “Jay” Daniels who introduced him to football. Javon Daniels, along with his wife Regina Jackson shaped a great future for their son. With their support, the star QB has reached new heights in his career.
The LSU star’s father also used to play football in his college days. Javon Daniels reportedly served as a cornerback at the University of Washington and Iowa State University. His experience in college football helped him inspire his son to play the game. He might not have reached the NFL, but Javon has made sure that his son makes it to the league.
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As a child, the 22-year-old QB used to practice with his father. The duo reportedly shared an amazing bond together. However, Javon passed away in January 2021 when Daniels was playing for the Sun Devils. He was reportedly in a hospital for a while before he died. However, there’s no exact information available about the reason behind his death.
Jayden Daniels took to Instagram to post a photo with his mom and dad to announce his death. Along with that, the 6-foot-4 athlete wrote an emotional caption as well. Javon Daniels might have left the world, but he shaped his son into a phenomenal player.
Jayden’s father wanted him to be a cornerback
Javon Daniels was undoubtedly the first coach for Jayden Daniels. He was the one who motivated his son to follow in his footsteps and play football. However, the father of the star player didn’t want him to be a quarterback. Jayden reportedly revealed that his father wanted him to play for some other position.
As the 210 lb QB’s father himself was a cornerback, he wanted his son to become a cornerback as well. Recently, after receiving the Heisman Trophy, Daniels made this revelation during his acceptance speech.
“Dad, you put a football in my hands when I was young. I know you raised me to be a corner, but hopefully, now that you’ve seen me play quarterback it paid off,” he said.
Jayden Daniels has been playing college football for 5 years. Throughout his career, the star QB has completed 953 out of his 1,438 passing attempts. He also has 89 TDs and 20 interceptions for 12,749 passing yards till now. Daniels also has 617 carries and 34 TDs for 3,307 rushing yards.
Jayden Daniels’ decision to become a quarterback instead of a cornerback has paid off well. Now, it’ll be interesting to see when the star player makes his NFL debut.