Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; ESPN analyst Nick Saban before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Jayden Daniels is taking the National Football League by storm during his rookie campaign with the Washington Commanders with the organization now one win away from the Super Bowl.
Daniels shined during his time with the LSU Tigers throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons while rewriting the record books during his final year.
He took home the Heisman Trophy after beating out Bo Nix and other talented signal-callers following a meteoric rise in his last run in Baton Rouge.
Daniels tore up Southeastern Conference play, but one game will stick out like a sore thumb during his college career: The Alabama Crimson Tide matchup in 2022.
LSU took down Nick Saban's club in overtime after Brian Kelly and the Tigers converted on a two-point attempt to win the game.
Now, with Daniels excelling in the National Football League, Saban provided lofty praise for the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
He declared the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft the "most dominant player" the Crimson Tide faced since Joe Burrow.
"Since Joe Burrow, which whatever year that was when they beat us, this was the most dominating player that we played against at Alabama for four or five years," Saban said of Jayden Daniels.
"And I said it last year in the draft, you know all these pro people call and ask your opinion on people you played against, I said, 'This guy's the best guy we played against for five years.'"
Daniels finished the 2024-25 regular season with 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He broke the rookie quarterback record with 891 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
"I always believed we could achieve more than what people give us credit for. You have to go out there and put in the work each and every day," Daniels said last Saturday. "Just put your head down and grind and when you look up at the end of the season, you could be in a position like this."
What separates Daniels from the competition? It's his ability to do it all, according to Saban:
"No disrespect to anybody else, you guys got to look at all the quarterbacks, but I think this guy is a great passer," Saban said. "He's fast as hell and he can scramble and run and make plays. He's smart, he makes good decisions.
"I don't see how you can go wrong with this guy. And I actually thought he was the best guy in the draft last year because of the production that he had in college. And he did it for two years."
Saban isn't the only one praising Daniels and his dominance during year one with the Commanders.
ESPN's Mike Greenberg hopped on Sunday's NFL Countdown to discuss the electrifying Rookie of the Year frontrunner:
"As far as Jayden Daniels is concerned, and that really should be the storyline here, we can forget about the conversation about greatest rookie seasons for a QB ever. If you appreciate the history of the sport - the greatest rookie seasons the league has ever seen are people like Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Mike Ditka - I think Jayden Daniels goes to No. 1," Greenberg said.
"I think with this win, Jayden Daniels is the greatest rookie the NFL has ever had, and he's one win away now from the Super Bowl."
Daniels and Co. will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Fox with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line.
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