JT Daniels cleared to play right away. UGA QB battle just got a lot more interesting
Within a matter of months, Georgia has two high-profile transfer quarterbacks who can compete for a starting role this season.
JT Daniels, a late-May transfer from Southern Cal, announced Monday that the NCAA granted the former five-star quarterback an immediate eligibility waiver. He made the cross-country trip to Athens as an undergraduate transfer, which most years means Daniels would sit out the upcoming season. But the NCAA’s action overturned the expected verdict.
“Thank you to the NCAA for granting me immediate eligibility and allowing me to play football this fall,” Daniels tweeted. “I will not comment on the waiver or transfer, but look forward to a great 2020 season with my teammates.”
The reasoning for Daniels’ pursuit of the waiver is unknown. A team spokesperson confirmed the news to The Telegraph.
The ability to immediately use Daniels puts Georgia in a unique spot. The Bulldogs already had Jamie Newman, a graduate transfer in the fold. He has been with the program since the beginning of the calendar year and offers a dual-threat option that could expand Georgia’s offensive capability under first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Newman has three years of experience with Wake Forest, but only one full season in 2019 in which the Graham, North Carolina product played in 12 games. Newman threw for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Newman added 180 rushing yards and six touchdowns to his passing totals. Newman led the Demon Deacons to an 8-5 record, but Georgia’s recruiting history and offensive weapons serve as an upgrade.
Georgia’s quarterback room has changed in nearly every dynamic over a calendar year. It becomes a stronger claim with Daniels’ immediate eligibility. Entering 2019, the Bulldogs had Jake Fromm as starter and a former walk-on in Stetson Bennett as the backup. There were no other viable options behind Bennett.
A year later, Daniels and Newman are two of five quarterbacks who can battle for playing time. Georgia has Bennett, D’Wan Mathis and freshman four-star Carson Beck, who seem far behind in the mix but will engage in competition. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, when addressing Newman in his signing day press conference in February, added that the Bulldogs are “certainly excited about Carson.”
Mathis hasn’t yet appeared in a game due to a brain injury suffered ahead of the 2019 season. Bennett has appeared in mop-up duty over two seasons for the Bulldogs. Beck, a product of Jacksonville, Florida, recorded 1,843 passing yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior at Mandarin High School.
Allow the suspense wheels to spin. For the fourth time in Smart’s five seasons, there’s a quarterback battle with genuine uncertainty. And following the oft-referred competition of Fromm and now-Ohio State star Justin Fields, Georgia has another decision to make.
Daniels is now the next transfer to add his name to Monken’s deep list of choices.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 12:36 PM with the headline "JT Daniels cleared to play right away. UGA QB battle just got a lot more interesting."