It's been the worst of times for J.T. Daniels after great expectations were foisted upon the California quarterback out of Mater Dei High School.
West Virginia keeps their bowl hopes alive with a win over Oklahoma their 1st over the Sooners since 2008
— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) November 12, 2022
Neal Brown made the tough decision to bench highly regarded transfer QB JT Daniels for Garrett Greene.
It paid immediate dividends for the Mountaineers
It’s unbelievable how much JT Daniels has regressed. #WVU
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) November 12, 2022
This past Saturday, Daniels was benched in West Virginia's 23-20 win against Oklahoma. He struggled mightily before coach Neal Brown turned to backup Garrett Greene.
Daniels was 7-of-12 for 65 yards and an interception before being benched for good late in the first half.
It took a series of unfortunate events for Daniels to end up in Morgantown. He lost the starting job at Georgia during last year's national championship season after suffering multiple injuries. Fans called for Daniels to start in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan a season ago after starter Stetson Bennett had one of his worst games of the year in the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Kirby Smart elected to stick with Bennett and the move turned out to be a wise one. The Bulldogs won the title and appear well on their way to a second consecutive title with Bennett at the helm. Daniels entered the transfer portal in January 2022 and agreed to a move to West Virginia in April.
If Daniels had his way, he would have never been in that position at Georgia. He began his career at USC, starting his freshman year (2018) during a difficult 5-7 season. Daniels tore his ACL in the first game of the 2019 season. When it became clear he would be competing for a backup role upon his rehabilitation, the Trojans' QB made the exodus to Athens in May 2020.
Daniels was a five-star recruit out of high school. Per 247 Sports, he ranked as the No. 16 prospect overall in 2018 and the third-best quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.
Lawrence was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and Fields just made history by recording the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a two-game span.
Justin Fields just as a runner over the past two weeks:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 14, 2022
- 28 rushes
- 325 yards
- 11.6 average
- 3 TD
- 2 runs of 60+ yards
That 325 yards is the most by any QB in a two-game span in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/aI55mIwRXq
Before the start of the 2021 season, Daniels sat down with Marty Smith and Ryan McGee and opened up about mental health struggles while dealing with adversity for the first time as a quarterback.
JT Daniels opens up about his mental health.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 6, 2021
A powerful conversation with @MartySmithESPN & @ESPNMcGee. pic.twitter.com/StvKJqZjoV
"I learned a lot about myself... My trajectory in high school was, like, pretty much straight up, I was, like, Gatorade National Player of the Year, and then I went to college and went straight down," said Daniels.
During three seasons at Mater Dei, Daniels completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 293 yards per game. He threw 152 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.
Daniels had all the tools coming out of high school to be the next great college -- and professional -- quarterback. Injuries put a hitch in his plans at both USC and Georgia while the transfer to West Virginia hasn't been the change of scenery he needed. There's the added sting of both the Trojans and Bulldogs being in the thick of the CFP race.
In five seasons, Daniels has played in 31 games and has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 224.1 yards per game while throwing for 45 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
As difficult a stretch as Daniels has endured, the challenge at West Virginia could be his toughest.
The school has parted ways with athletic director Shane Lyons. Brown is on the hot seat even after Saturday's win over Oklahoma.
Daniels has one more year of eligibility following this season. It seems just as unlikely that Daniels would be the team's starter next year as it does he'll get a fourth chance to lead a program.
Stranger things have happened, but Daniels is running out of options.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!