Jayden Daniels’ first stop on his first trip to the East Coast was the Johnny Unitas statue outside M&T Bank Stadium.
The Heisman Trophy front-runner and dazzling LSU quarterback woke up in Baton Rouge at 5:15 a.m. Thursday and flew to Baltimore, where he received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award Thursday evening at the Four Seasons Hotel. Before that, though, he visited the Unitas statue, as is customary for the Golden Arm’s annual winner.
“I’m just happy to be here,” he said. “It’s an honor to be able to come here and receive this award.”
First awarded in 1987, the Golden Arm is named for the Baltimore Colts legend who revolutionized the quarterback position and is awarded to the top upperclassman quarterback in college football. The Golden Arm Education Foundation awards scholarships to students in Maryland and Kentucky, where Unitas played college football at Louisville.
Daniels, who on Friday won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback, delivered eye-popping numbers in his final college season. The senior threw for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdown passes to just four interceptions while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 scores. He became the only player in Football Bowl Subdivision history to rush for 200 yards and pass for 350 yards in a game during a 52-35 victory against Florida on Nov. 11.
“It was a crazy ride,” said Daniels, who sported a Unitas jersey.
After 24 hours in Baltimore, Daniels went to New York City on Friday, where he’ll attend the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday evening with the other three finalists: Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
The winner of the Heisman, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards, has not been announced, but Daniels is expected to win. He received 35 of the 51 first-place votes to win the Associated Press college football Player of the Year award.
Daniels, a California native, started his career at Arizona State before excelling at LSU. He led the Tigers to a 10-4 record last year and a 9-3 campaign this season. Two of LSU’s losses came against Florida State and Alabama — the two teams the College Football Playoff committee chose between for the last spot in the sport’s four-team postseason. The committee ultimately picked Alabama, drawing criticism from many.
Asked if he had thoughts on the selection, Daniels said it’s hard to decide between them.
“They’re both great,” he said, “and they both beat us, so you can’t really say too much.”
The quarterback’s family also visited Baltimore on Thursday and his father, Javon Daniels, said that in the past, they have observed the Unitas winner from afar. Last year, TCU’s Max Duggan won the award, and before him it was Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett.
“To be here, it’s pretty cool,” Javon Daniels said.
Thursday morning, one LSU fan — Carson Stewart of Baltimore City — staked out M&T Bank Stadium for an hour, hypothesizing that Daniels might be there to visit the statue, as previous winners have. His patience paid off: He got a picture with the quarterback.
Should Daniels win the Heisman and get selected high in next year’s NFL draft, as projected, he can expect many similar requests.