A large part of the reason there’s so much excitement surrounding LSU’s 2023 season is the return of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who became one of the SEC’s best signal-callers by the end of 2022.

Daniels enters his second season in Baton Rouge after transferring in from Arizona State as the incumbent starter, but he’s had to earn the right to retain that spot this spring.

Backup Garrett Nussmeier impressed fans when he saw the field late in the season, and he’s also apparently impressed the coaching staff. It was a big win for coach Brian Kelly and Co. to keep Nussmeier from entering the transfer portal after spring ball, and Kelly said that Nussmeier’s presence has pushed Daniels to improve.

“I think when you have a quarterback like Jayden, you look at — No. 1 — what’s his one desire?” Kelly said in a recent interview with WBRZ in Baton Rouge, according to On3. “How bad does he want it? The fact of the matter is he had a quarterback that was in the same room that wants it just as bad in Nuss. So you have a big push there. He’s being pushed every day by Garrett.

“You have a guy that’s intrinsically motivated. Jayden wants to be the best. Those two things working together, it doesn’t surprise me that he got better because he was just trying to be the best version of himself. We saw that happen in the spring.”

Daniels has First Team All-SEC potential in 2023, and the Tigers could have a championship ceiling. If they reach those levels of success, Daniels’ improvements over the offseason will certainly be a major reason for it.

More Football!

LSU's defense needs to create more negative plays in 2023

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire