What recent history can tell us about Jayden Daniels' Walter Camp Award win in Heisman pursuit
Before Saturday's Heisman Trophy ceremony, college football had its award show Friday night in which it honored everyone but college football's most outstanding player. Finalists Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, and Marvin Harrison Jr. did extremely well for themselves Friday, but Daniels took home the award that is arguably most predictive of a Heisman win.
Jayden Daniels is the odd-on favorite to win the trophy per BetMGM, and he was the recipient of the Walter Camp Award on Friday, bolstering his chances of becoming the second LSU quarterback in five years to win the award. Nine of the past 13 Heisman winners also won the Camp Award, including Caleb Williams with USC last season.
Daniels helmed the No. 1 offense in the country this season, completing 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,134 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry, and he notched 10 rushing TDs on the season.
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Daniels beat out fellow Heisman finalists Penix and Nix to win the award, further bolstering his case.
Walter Camp Award winners since 2010
Here's a look at the last 14 Walter Camp Award winners.
Year | Walter Camp Winner | Won Heisman? | Heisman Winner |
2010 | Yes | N/A | |
2011 | No | ||
2012 | Manti Te'o | No | |
2013 | Yes | N/A | |
2014 | Yes | N/A | |
2015 | Yes | N/A | |
2016 | Yes | N/A | |
2017 | Yes | N/A | |
2018 | No | ||
2019 | Yes | N/A | |
2020 | Yes | N/A | |
2021 | Kenneth Walker III | No | |
2022 | Caleb Williams | Yes | N/A |
2023 | Jayden Daniels | TBD | TBD |
While not perfectly predictive, it's a good indicator. There were circumstances around each vote, with Luck-Griffin and Tagovailoa-Murray ending up as extremely tight votes, Te'o racking up hardware after an utterly historic defensive season, and Walker being recognized as one of the more egregious snubs in recent memory.
Who votes for Walter Camp Award?
There is a robust voting group for the Walter Camp Award: Division I FBS coaches and Division I sports information directors (SIDs).
Because the voting pool is so vast, the potential for anomalous votes is greatly diminished, which leads to significant correlation between the winner of the award and the Heisman winner. While not a 1:1, it's indicative of a truly outstanding season that is often recognized on Saturday night.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Jayden Daniels' Walter Camp Award bodes well for Heisman Trophy case
