It All Started Here: Jayden Daniels

Before hoisting the Heisman Trophy at Louisiana State University and earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels dominated high school football in California.

Daniels played football, soccer, basketball, and ran track in his youth before attending Cajon High School in San Bernardino from 2015 to 2019.

Because of his slender frame as a freshman – 5-foot-11 and around 130 pounds – Daniels needed a doctor’s note to play on the football team. He quickly proved that his size didn’t matter.

Over the next four years, Daniels put together one of the greatest careers in California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) history, amassing 14,007 passing yards, 3,645 rushing yards and 211 touchdowns while helping Cajon to a 44-10 record. Daniels set CIF-Southern Section records for his touchdowns and total yards.

As a junior in 2017, Daniels set a state record with more than 6,400 yards of total offense, leading his team to the Citrus Belt League championship and an appearance in the Division 2-AA state finals. The following season, he guided Cajon to another league title and a berth to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship game.

Daniels also competed in track and field in high school, running the 100, 200 and 400 meters, along with the 4x100 relay.

The standout dual-threat QB spent three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to LSU. In his final season with the Tigers, he completed 236 of 327 passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns, with just four interceptions, while also rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 more scores, earning him Heisman honors.

Cajon renamed its football stadium Jayden Daniels Stadium shortly after he received the Heisman. During the same ceremony, which included a parade, Daniels was presented a key to the city of San Bernardino and the mayor declared January 20 “Jayden Daniels Day.”

Daniels was selected second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by Washington. He helped the Commanders to a 12-5 regular-season record and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after finishing with 4,459 total yards (3,568 passing) and 31 touchdowns (25 passing). He set NFL rookie records for points per game (28.5) and completion percentage (69%).

In the playoffs, Daniels led Washington to the NFC Championship Game with upset wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and top-seeded Detroit Lions before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.