The University of Wisconsin football team caught a break for their upcoming bowl game as LSU"s star quarterback, Jayden Daniels, announced on social media that he"s saying goodbye to college football and won"t be playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl against the Badgers. Daniels expressed gratitude to the people of Baton Rouge and LSU"s coaches for bringing back the joy of football for him.
This season, Daniels put up incredible stats, resembling something out of a video game. He became the third LSU player to win the Heisman Trophy, throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 scores. His outstanding performance led the No. 13 Tigers to a 9-3 record.
LSU QB and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels announced that he won't play in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Wisconsin.
He's officially NFL bound. pic.twitter.com/CfSW0Y0vtS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 18, 2023
Unfortunately for Wisconsin, they"ll be missing several key players in their bowl game, including at least six starters like tailback Braelon Allen, who are either entering the NFL draft or have left the team for the transfer portal. The Badgers faced Daniels once before when he played for Arizona State, and although they managed to contain him in that game, Daniels has significantly improved during his time at LSU.
With Daniels out, LSU is likely to turn to sophomore Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback. Nussmeier has been Daniels" backup for the past two seasons and showed promise in six games this season, completing 17 of 33 attempts for 196 yards and a touchdown, along with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Now that Daniels has made his decision, other standout LSU players expected to go to the NFL, such as receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., may also choose to sit out the bowl game. Nabers had an impressive 86 catches for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Thomas Jr. recorded 60 catches for 1,079 yards and 15 TDs.
