Former Georgia quarterback JT Daniels will have to earn the starting quarterback job in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Daniels, who transferred to UGA from USC two years ago, announced his decision to transfer to West Virginia University in April.
The former 5-star recruit in the class of 2018 very well may be the most talented passer on WVU’s roster, but the starting job is something that has to be earned, Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown said this week at Big 12 Media Days.
“He’s been tremendous,” Brown said, according to EerSports. “He’s got to go win the job. That’s something we were really clear about him during the recruiting process, that nothing was going to be handed to him. He has to go win the job. I’m really proud of how he’s handled it.”
A graduate transfer, Daniels made his arrival at West Virginia this summer. So far, Brown has been quite impressed with the former UGA quarterback.
“He may be the smartest quarterback we’ve ever had,” Brown said on Tuesday, per Heartland College Sports.
“J.T. has come in and been really humble in his approach. He knows he’s got to win the (quarterback) competition. There’s nothing promised to him on the way in, but he’s done a great job connecting with our players. He’s done a great job getting his body where it needs to be. He’s in really good shape. He’s really confident. The key for him is to stay healthy.”
Daniels will be competing against Garrett Greene (former 3-star), Will Crowder (former 3-star), and true freshman Nicco Marchiol (former 4-star) for the starting job.
“Quarterback competitions, when they’re won, it’s evident,” Brown said. “Your team knows it. It’s not like you have to go out a social media announcement or stand in front of the team and say this is our starter. When a quarterback wins that competition, it’s very clear. … It’s really clear who the team believes in, who they’re productive for. … Everybody wants to talk about them, but … it’s really the easiest one to choose.”
Daniels started multiple games for Georgia in 2020 and was expected to be the starting quarterback for Georgia’s 2021 season. He started against Clemson and made another start against South Carolina. However, he was sidelined after being diagnosed with a strained oblique muscle, propelling Stetson Bennett into the starting spot.
He was 7-0 as Georgia’s starting quarterback spanning the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
