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Watch List Central: Daniels Named to O'Brien Watch List

by thesundevils.com
Jul 19, 2021

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State junior Jayden Daniels added a second preseason watch list to his credit on Tuesday as the Davey O'Brien Foundation revealed the 2021 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List today, a group that includes 30 of the nation's top returning college quarterbacks.
 
Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2021 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution. Daniels was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for the National Player of the Year on Monday.

Considered one of the premiere quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2021 season, Jayden Daniels enters his third season as the starter on the Maxwell Award Watch List. The returning captain has been brilliant since arriving in Tempe, operating one of the most efficient offenses in the country. He has a knack for coming through in the big moments, having thrown for 877 passing yards in the fourth quarter of games in his career, 14th among Power Five quarterbacks since 2019. In addition to his yardage production, his nine fourth quarter passing touchdowns are 11th among Power Five QBs since 2019.

Daniels leads the nation since 2019 in yards per pass competition with 11+ yards to go at 18.9 yards/completion (680 yards on 36 completions). His passer rating with over 11+ yards to go since 2019 is 188.2, second in the nation behind Texas Tech's Tyler Shough (195.4). Additionally has 103 rushing yards on 10 carries on third and 11+, sixth most among FBS quarterbacks. When rushing on third down in his career, Daniels has a first down or touchdown percentage of 54.0 percent, good for sixth among FBS quarterbacks since 2019.

He has taken extremely good care of the football, committing just five turnovers on 618 plays in his career, the fewest among FBS quarterbacks since 2019 (0.8 percent of plays). His seven rushing touchdowns are 19th among P5 QBs since 2019, as are his 782 rushing yards (sacks excluded). Since 2019, Daniels is second among FBS quarterbacks in yards per completion on third down at 16.3 (964 yards on 59 competitions), trailing only Louisville's Malik Cunningham (17.2). Daniels is one of just five FBS quarterbacks since 2019 to not throw an interception on third down. Among Power Five quarterbacks with at least 100 third-down attempts since 2019, Daniels is 10th with an NFL quarterback rating of 101.0.

The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Appearing on the preseason watch list is not a requirement for a player to win the award.
 
For the second straight year, players honored as weekly Davey O'Brien Great 8 recipients, as well as any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee, will be added to form the official Davey O'Brien QB Class of 2021, which will be announced on Monday, Oct. 25.
 
Sixteen semifinalists selected from the QB Class of 2021 list will be named on Monday, Nov. 8. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Monday, Nov. 22). The 2021 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 9, during The Home Depot College Football Awards. Fan voting on social media will again play a role in the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting totals when combined with the national selection committee's ballots.
 
The 45th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas.
SUN DEVIL FOOTBALL PRESEASON WATCH LIST CENTRAL

Jayden Daniels - Quarterback - Redshirt Junior
Maxwell Award - College Player of the Year
Davey O'Brien Award - National Quarterback of the Year

Overview

  • Has thrown for 877 passing yards in the fourth quarter of games in his career, 14th among Power Five quarterbacks since 2019.
  • His nine fourth quarter passing touchdowns are 11th among Power Five QBs since 2019.
  • His fourth quarter NFL passer rating is 111.4 in the fourth quarter, ninth among Power Five QBs since 2019.
  • Leads the nation since 2019 in yards per pass competition with 11+ yards to go at 18.9 ypc (680 yards on 36 completions).
  • His passer rating with over 11+ yards to go since 2019 is 188.2, second in the nation behind Texas Tech's Tyler Shough (195.4).
  • Additionally has 103 rushing yards on 10 carries on third and 11+, sixth most among FBS quarterbacks.
  • When rushing on third down in his career, Daniels has a first down or touchdown percentage of 54.0 percent, good for sixth among FBS quarterbacks since 2019.
  • Has committed just five turnovers on 618 plays in his career, the fewest among FBS quarterbacks since 2019 (0.8 percent of plays).
  • His seven rushing touchdowns are 19th among P5 QBs since 2019, as are his 782 rushing yards (sacks excluded).
  • Since 2019, Daniels is second among FBS quarterbacks in yards per completion on third down at 16.3 (964 yards on 59 competitions), trailing only Louisville's Malik Cunningham (17.2).
  • Daniels is one of just five FBS quarterbacks since 2019 to not throw an interception on third down.
  • Among Power Five quarterbacks with at least 100 third-down attempts since 2019, Daniels is 10th with an NFL quarterback rating of 101.0.

Chase Lucas - Cornerback - Redshirt Senior (Gr.)
Bednarik Award - College Defensive Player of the Year

Overview

  • 2021 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team.
  • The highest graded corner in the Pac-12 in coverage last season with a grade of 84.7 and the 16th-highest graded corner in the nation.
  • Allowed just 109 yards in coverage, seventh fewest in the Pac-12 while his 7.8 yards allowed per catch were third in the league.
  • Only allowed five first downs, fourth fewest in the league and forced five incompletions - good for third in the league.
  • Allowed a first down or touchdown just 31.8 percent of the time, seventh-lowest in the Pac-12, and allowed just one player over 15 yards, second-lowest in the league.
  • Among players with at least 250 defensive snaps, Lucas was the fifth-highest graded defensive player in the Pac-12, regardless of position, with a score of 81.4 from Pro Football Focus. He was the highest-rated cornerback in the league.
  • Lucas recorded a score of 84.8 in pass coverage for the season, the highest for a cornerback in the league and the second-highest of any defensive player.
  • He was the sixth-highest graded cornerback in the nation in pass coverage and the 12th-highest graded cornerback in the country overall.
  • Forced an incompletion on 27.3 percent of the passes thrown his way, the ninth-best tally among corners nationally.
  • Targeted just 22 times on the season despite playing over 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps, allowing just 14 catches.

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