On Thursday, the NFL revealed the finalists for its biggest awards like most valuable player, offensive player of the year and coach of the year.
The remaining hopefuls for one honor in particular will look awfully familiar to LSU football fans.
Former Tigers standouts accounted for three of the five finalists for offensive rookie of the year, with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. all still in contention for the award.
The development wasn’t lost on LSU, which commemorated the occasion by posting a photo to social media of Thomas, Daniels and Nabers standing next to each other at midfield of Tiger Stadium.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers are the other two finalists.
Daniels, Nabers and Thomas were the centerpieces of one of the most explosive offenses in modern college football history in their final season at LSU in 2023. Daniels racked up 4,946 yards of total offense and 50 touchdowns on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, Nabers had an FBS-high 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Thomas had 1,117 yards and an FBS-high 17 touchdowns.
Though they finished a relatively underwhelming 10-3 that season, the Tigers led the FBS in scoring offense (45.5 points per game) and total offense (543.5 yards per game). Their yards and points per game totals are each No. 2 in program history, behind only the Joe Burrow-led 2019 national championship team in both categories.
Daniels is the overwhelming favorite to take home the award after completing 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, along with 891 rushing yards and six touchdowns, in one of the greatest regular seasons ever for an NFL rookie. His success has continued into the postseason, where he has led the Commanders to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1992.
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Nabers had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns for the Giants while Thomas had 87 receptions, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Jaguars. Thomas and Nabers finished No. 3 and No. 7, respectively, in the NFL in receiving yards. Four of the top seven players in the category are LSU products, with Ja’Marr Chase at No. 1 and Justin Jefferson at No. 2.
They aren’t the only former Tigers up for some of the most prestigious awards in their sport.
Burrow is a finalist for most valuable player, offensive player of the year and comeback player of the year while Chase is a finalist for offensive player of the year. Joe Brady, who was Burrow and Chase’s offensive coordinator during that iconic 2019 season, is a finalist for assistant coach of the year in his first season as the Buffalo Bills’ full-time offensive coordinator.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU boasts three of five NFL offensive rookie of the year finalists
