Herm Edwards was the head coach at Arizona State when Jayden Daniels arrived as a freshman in 2019…and even then, Herm knew Jayden was going to be special.
“I saw him in high school in San Bernardino, and his athleticism stood out. I told him when he was young that he looked like Randall Cunningham – but he plays with a calmness,” Edwards said. “He has a calmness in big moments, which is really unique, and he doesn’t turn the ball over. It’s been fun to watch him play the game of football, and watch him grow and mature,
Daniels played in an SEC Championship Game while at LSU, losing to the juggernaut that was Georgia, so he’s been in big games before – and while this is as big as it gets other than the Super Bowl, Edwards is confident Daniels will be just as unflappable as always.
“This championship game won't be too big for him. He understands it’s one game at a time. We talk every couple days, and it’s just fun to watch his growth and what he’s done, and the excitement around the Commanders,” Edwards said. “I know the enthusiasm with this fan base, and Washington is the hot team right now, the unexpected team, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Edwards gave his thoughts on the game itself and how each team could succeed, and told a story about Daniels playing Justin Herbert and Oregon as a true freshman as an example of how he’s been unflappable since Day 1 – but when it came to a prediction, he chose to instead focus on the future.
“I played in this NFC East for almost 10 seasons with the Eagles, so kind of interesting matchup for me, the former team versus one of my former players,” Edwards said. “It kind of goes to show you that it's a quarterback-driven league, and when you get a guy like this, you sit there and you just smile. Washington has its quarterback for the next decade. And if it’s a one-score game and he has the ball at the end…he’s gonna find a way to get you.”