Booger McFarland breaks down ‘simple’ Heisman argument for Jayden Daniels
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Booger McFarland doesn’t need further convincing that Jayden Daniels deserves to win the Heisman Trophy.
Despite LSU’s 7-3 record — and the fact that it’s very much out of the College Football Playoff and (potentially) New Year’s 6 race — Daniels has positioned himself well as far as the Heisman odds are concerned. He was immense for the Tigers against Florida, throwing for 3 touchdowns and 372 yards while rushing for 2 more scores and 234 yards on just 12 carries, becoming the first quarterback in FBS history to surpass the 350-yard passing and 200-yard rushing mark in a single game.
For McFarland, the choice for the Heisman should be easy.
“I looked up the definition and the criteria. It simply says this, Paul: the most outstanding player in college football. And you can’t tell me with a straight face [Daniels] hasn’t been the most outstanding player in college football,” the ESPN analyst said on Thursday’s “Paul Finebaum Show”.
LSU’s record, McFarland argued, is irrelevant, offering up Lamar Jackson’s Heisman triumph during a 9-3 2016 regular season for Louisville as “precedent”, among other examples.
“I think when it’s all said and done, Paul, yeah, he doesn’t have a stage. But he had a stage [against Florida] in Baton Rouge,” he said.
For Booger McFarland, the Heisman decision comes down to one simple fact: No one has put up a better individual season than Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/ruZ0Lhc8Lf
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) November 16, 2023
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
