FootballScoop is proud to announce that Joe Sloan (LSU) is the 2023 FootballScoop Quarterbacks Coach of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Through the air or on the ground, Jayden Daniels traveled 4,946 yards in 2023 -- more than any other player in college football, and nearly three miles as the crow flies. And he traveled an even longer path to get there.
A San Bernardino, Calif., native, Daniels signed with Arizona State out of high school and starred for the Sun Devils as a true freshman, firing 17 touchdowns against only two interceptions in 12 starts. But the pandemic intervened in 2020, and Daniels regressed in 2021.
No one saw a Heisman Trophy in Daniels's future when he left for LSU after 2021. And no one saw the Heisman in his future even after 2022, a year where he again posted a stellar TD-to-INT ratio (17-3) but threw for a pedestrian 208.1 yards per game, good for 72nd nationally.
Daniels leveled up in 2023 like few have before him.
He went from the 40th most efficient passer of the 2022 season to the most efficient passer in FBS history. He connected on 72.2 percent of his 327 passes (seventh nationally) for 317.7 yards per game (third) and 11.7 per attempt (first) with 40 touchdowns (first) against just four interceptions. After throwing for 208.1 yards per game in 2022, his efficiency rating became a 208.01 in '23. Daniels' QB rating grew nearly 44 percent year-over-year.
A game-by-game look at Daniels's 2023 season has to be seen to be believed. He topped the 200 QB rating mark nine times in 12 games, including seven of his final eight. He averaged at least 12 yards per attempt five times. Against Mississippi State, Daniels went 30-of-34 for 361 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions -- and, statistically speaking, that was his third least efficient game of the season.
A few Daniels gems:
-- at Ole Miss: 27-of-36 for 414 yards with 4 TDs and 0 INTs
-- at Missouri: 15-of-21 for 259 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTS
-- vs. Army: 11-of-15 for 279 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
-- vs. Florida: 17-of-26 for 372 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
Daniels was also lethal on the ground, accumulating 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on 135 carries. His 8.4 yards per carry average was fourth among all ball carriers, and first among all players with at least 150 rushes.
Daniels won nearly every award he was eligible to win. Only the Walter Camp Football Foundation kept him off their All-America team (opting for Washington's Michael Penix, Jr., instead), but every other selector chose Daniels. In addition to the Heisman, Daneils won the Walter Camp player of the year, the AP Player of the Year, the Sporting News Player of the Year, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
An East Carolina graduate, Sloan started coaching as an offensive quality control at South Florida in 2010. He spent nine seasons in a variety of roles at Louisiana Tech, including offensive coordinator, before joining Brian Kelly's LSU staff in 2022.
Sloan (and Todd Fitch) were selected 2016 Receivers Coaches of the Year for their work at Louisiana Tech.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Jimmie Dougherty [Arizona], Willy Korn [Liberty], Tommy Rees [Alabama], Jim Zebrowski [Kansas] and Sloan) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Quarterbacks Coach of the Year award are Josh Heupel (Oklahoma, 2008), Tom Rossley (Texas A&M, 2009), Mark Helfrich (Oregon, 2010 and 2012), Philip Montgomery (Baylor, 2011), Randy Sanders (Florida State, 2013), Kevin McGiven (Utah State, 2014), Mike Sanford (Notre Dame, 2015), Tyson Helton (USC, 2016), Jim Chaney (Georgia, 2017), Tom Rees (Notre Dame, 2018), Steve Ensminger (LSU, 2019), Aaron Roderick (BYU, 2020), Zach Kittley (Western Kentucky, 2021), and Kenny Dillingham (Oregon, 2022).
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