Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels reportedly expected to enter transfer portal
Arizona State’s offseason took a turn for the worse Thursday.
According to a new report from Sun Devil Source, starting quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to enter his name into the transfer portal. Daniels’ camp has been in contact recently with other Pac-12 programs to gauge interest, according to the report, and it remains unclear if he’d consider a return to ASU.
Daniels joined the program out of the 2019 class—rated as the 35th-best overall player in the country for his cycle and the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback, per the 247 Composite—and immediately took control of the offense. He became the first true freshman quarterback in program history to start a season-opener, and threw for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In 2020, Daniels totaled 701 yards and five scores in just four games for the Sun Devils.
But he struggled more in 2021 than most expected. Daniels posted his best completion rate last season but his worst yards-per-play clip and was much looser with the football. Over his first two seasons running the show, he attempted 422 passes and only three were picked off, a rate of 0.7%. In 2021, he threw 10 interceptions in 301 attempts.
On Dec. 2, Daniels announced that he’d return to Tempe for the 2022 season, an announcement that came just a few days after it was made clear coach Herm Edwards would be coming back for his fifth season.
Since, ASU has seen resignations from both its offensive and defensive coordinators as well as departures from several other assistant coaches. The NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations continues to wreak havoc on the program, as self-imposed recruiting restrictions for the 2021 cycle led to one of the lowest-rated high school classes the Sun Devils have signed in the 247 era.
Now, they’ll need to address a quarterback spot that has been settled for years.
There are at least scholarship options in the room, though all of them are lacking in any kind of real experience. The team’s top returning backup at quarterback is sophomore Trenton Bourguet, who completed seven of his 10 passes last season. Freshmen quarterbacks Daylin McLemore and Finn Collins are expected to return, though neither made appearances in 2021. Alabama transfer Paul Tyson joins the team this offseason, but he has 16 career pass attempts in three years of college ball. Bennett Meredith could also factor into the equation as a 2022 signee.
According to Sun Devil Source, Arizona State elected not to pursue Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler this offseason despite Rattler having “serious interest” in the ASU program.
Rattler, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback prospect in the 2019 class and 11th overall recruit in the country, decided to transfer to South Carolina in December. A Phoenix native, Rattler was a 5-star prospect ASU offered coming out of high school.
Now, the guy Edwards effectively chose over Rattler is also out the door, leaving ASU in quite a precarious spot.
The Sun Devils went 8-5 last season. Daniels has an 18-11 career record as the ASU starter, ending his time with the program with 6,025 passing yards, 1,288 rushing yards and 45 total touchdowns (32 passing).