Potentially winning this year’s Heisman Trophy is just one of the milestones that awaits LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and Oregon QB Bo Nix.
Both are finalists for college football’s most prestigious award and are expected to be some of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class, which has raised a conundrum that NFL prospects have faced for years.
Whether or not to play in their respective teams’ bowl games with very little on the line.
It was already announced that Caleb Williams — predicted to be the No. 1 pick in the April draft — will not play for USC when they face Louisville in the Holiday Bowl later this month.
Williams has not officially declared for the draft, but he is fully expected to turn pro.
Daniels, the favorite to take this year’s Heisman, has yet to decide whether he’s going to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin.
The game holds very little meaning with LSU not competing in this year’s College Football Playoff.
And it raises the question of whether it would be worth risking potential injury or impact on a player’s draft stock.
The LSU QB remained cryptic about his plans to play during an event at Raising Cane’s in Times Square on Friday.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment here with these guys and their family and enjoy what we’re doing. After all this is done, I’ll probably just sit down with my family and go from there,” Daniels said.
Daniels has been nothing short of a revelation in his two seasons at LSU, and ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projected him as the fourth-best QB in the upcoming draft.
While the Heisman finalist was mum on where his head is at with playing, he was more open with the way he makes big decisions like this.
“A lot of prayers and then you have to weigh out the pros and cons and talk to your family,” Daniels explained when asked by The Post about his process. “Honestly, just see what’s best for you and your future. Then from there, you go and you talk to your coaches and stuff like that.
“That’s kind of how the process has been for me.”
Nix, who’s had a strong two years at Oregon, is in a similar boat, but has already opted to suit up one more time for the Ducks when they face Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Oregon QB said that he didn’t want his final season to end with a heartbreaking loss in the Pac-12 Championship game.
“It all goes back to competing with your teammates and being there with them for one last time,” Nix said. “After what happened last week, I just want a chance to play again and I want a chance to go out there and compete with those guys. They’ve earned the right to play in a really good bowl game and they’ve earned the right to play as a group for one more time.”
Nix added: “I got an opportunity to play one more college football game and I know this period of my life I’m going to miss looking back on it. I just want to take every game that I can and make the most of it.”
Kiper ranked Nix as the fifth-best quarterback going into the draft in 2024.
The world will find out whether Daniels, Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday.
