Jayden Daniels downplays his chances of winning the Heisman despite being HUGE favorite ahead of NYC ceremony... as he lauds rivals Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix and Marvin Harrison Jr. and insists he's not thinking about being voted best in college football

On the eve of handing out college football's biggest award, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels took the time to praise his fellow nominees - and insists that the Heisman isn't a cut-and-dried race just yet.

Daniels and two of the other nominees - Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. - spent their Friday morning at Raising Canes' flagship store in Times Square.

There, they helped serve some food to customers and signed autographs before taking questions from the media about their seasons.

Daniels just recently won the AP Player of the Year award. While that is no immediate indication that he will win the Heisman, only two players haven't done the double: Nebraska defensive tackle Ndomukong Suh and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.

When asked by DailyMail.com if that correlation is on the back of his mind, Daniels was humble in his response: It’s a blessing to win that award, but [it's] honestly not. 

'Because there’s three other finalists that are very deserving of the award. It could swing any other way, you know. … Mike had a great season, obviously Mike is in the playoffs, Bo what he did at Oregon and Marvin and what he has done over at Ohio State. 

'So, I mean, all the guys are very deserving of it. I’m just blessed to be in a position to be here, you know, celebrate with them.'

Don't mistake Daniels' modesty for being undeserving of the award: he finished third in the country for passing yards this year (behind Penix at one and Nix at two), but he was also the top rushing quarterback in America totaling 1,134 yards.

Penix's 4,218 yards in the air led the nation but his 33 touchdowns to nine interceptions left something to be desired. Still, he's the second favorite to take the award after powering Washington to an undefeated season and the College Football Playoff.

Nix is college's equivalent of a career journeyman. After four seasons at Auburn, he transferred to the Pacific Northwest and has been dominant for the Ducks this year - tossing 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Lastly there's Harrison Jr. - widely considered one of the three top prospects at next year's NFL draft, if he chooses to leave Ohio State. He caught for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Buckeyes.

The three quarterbacks gathered there all had something in common: they each transferred to the schools they're at now. Daniels was formerly at Arizona State, Penix was at Indiana, and as previously mentioned, Nix was an Auburn Tiger.

Now, they're all here with new teams and are a shining example of how successful the transfer portal can be.

DailyMail.com asked each of them if they envisioned being this successful when they were choosing their new schools.

Penix replied, 'For me, I would say yeah, I mean, I saw a lot of great things whenever I went up to visit Washington. 

'And I was very confident in the coaching staff and once I got to meet the players and stuff there I was very confident in our abilities and being able to win a football game. 

'So, yeah, I would say definitely I had an idea that we'll do great things. But, you know, to be on this stage - like I said, I'm blessed. 

'It's one thing I always wanted to do was win football games. And once I got to Washington, [I was] able to do that. 

'So, you know, that was always the main goal for me, but to be up here, I'm just super blessed and excited.'

Nix said success was specifically the reason why he chose Oregon: 'Oregon’s one of those universities where I felt like each year they were gonna have a chance to compete at a high level and they were gonna have really good players around me and coaching. 

'Coming out of Auburn, my transition, I felt like Oregon was that place where I could still go and accomplish all my goals.'

'Like Mike said, you know, we're just blessed to be here,' Daniels replied. 'When I entered the portal, obviously, I wanted to look for schools that was gonna be able to compete and that was opportunity that was presented me. 

'So from there it's like when I went up there, the guys that they had around and the coaching staff, just the opportunity to go out there and be in a position like this, you know how I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.'

The three quarterbacks all picked each other's Heisman moments: Penix's four-touchdown game over Oregon, Nix's six touchdown breakout against Arizona State, and Daniels' game against Florida - where he tossed for 372 yards and three TDs while also rushing for a monstrous 234 yards and a pair of scores.

Penix's next stop after his weekend in New York is a semifinal matchup against Texas in the College Football Playoff. For Nix and Daniels? The solution isn't so simple.

They each were unable to make the playoffs and have non-CFP bowl games to attend to: Oregon plays Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl while LSU faces Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl).

These days, players who are set to leave for the NFL Draft often skip out on bowl games to try and avoid the risk of injuries. 

Neither Nix or Daniels have committed to playing in their respective games just yet, and they both revealed to reporters their thought process behind the decision.

'I think it all goes back to, you know, competing with your teammates and being there with them for one last time,' Nix revealed. 'I don't want to end our season on a negative note, and so, you know, after what happened last week, I just want a chance to play again and want a chance to go out there and compete with those guys because they've earned the right to play in a really good bowl game. 

'They've earned the right to play as a group for one more time and I don't think I’m necessarily entitled to anything that's given to me. So I just know that I got to work for each and every thing. 

'If that means playing another game, then that's what I'm excited to do. … I got an opportunity to play one more college football game and I know that this period of my life I'm gonna miss. So I just want to take every game that I can make the most of it.'

'You gotta weigh out the pros and cons and talk to your family to see what’s best for you and your future,' Daniels replied. 'And then you talk to your coaches and stuff like that, so that’s kind of how the process has been for me deciding on a decision.

'So now, I’m just trying to enjoy the moment here with these guys and their family, you know, enjoy what we’re doing and after all this is done, I’ll probably just sit down with my family and go from there.'

The Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony takes place on Saturday night at 8:00pm ET on ESPN.