LSU's Daniels to skip bowl game, prepare for NFL draft

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will skip the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft, he announced on Monday.

"I want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen, but all great things must come to an end," Daniels said in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. "I feel better about the state of the program with the quarterback moving forward. No matter what, I promise this will not be the last time y'all see That Kid around because this is my city and my second home."

Daniels is considered one of the top passers eligible for next spring's draft, alongside Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

The Tigers will likely start Garrett Nussmeier on Jan. 1.

Daniels posted insane numbers in his final season with the Tigers: He passed for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while adding another 1,134 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.

The California native began his career at Arizona State in 2019, spending three seasons with the Sun Devils before transferring to LSU ahead of his final two campaigns in 2022 and 2023.

Daniels collected plenty of hardware in his final collegiate season. He won both the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the country's best quarterback, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. LSU's star passer also became the third player in school history to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Joe Burrow (2019) as the only Tigers passers to accomplish the feat.