Roundtable: Should Michigan Pursue Transfer JT Daniels?
Michael Spath's Take: JT Daniels has 372 more pass attempts in his career than Dylan McCaffrey. He has thrown for 2,645 yards more than McCaffrey. He has started an entire season’s worth of games. Under normal circumstances I would 100% be in favor of bring Daniels in but we have no idea what college football will look like in 2020, and if it is played, chances are the coaches will be working at a frantic pace to get their team prepared.
The coaches could hand Daniels the playbook this summer, they could even do video conferencing with him, but practice reps will have to wait. Throwing to teammates will have to wait. Getting familiar in this offense will have to wait. McCaffrey and Milton, though stunted by the lack of spring practice, have far more experience working with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and they can both run – the added dimension to Michigan’s spread that wasn’t on display enough with Shea Patterson and would be absent with Daniels (he’s run 48 times for -155 yards in his career).
In a potentially abbreviated season, with all the wildcards, I don’t think you hand the reins to a quarterback completely unfamiliar with your offense and your personnel.
Meritocracy and all that – bring him in and let the best man win the job – but if the NCAA grants immediate eligibility to first-time transfers on May 20 like many expect, and Daniels is headed to Ann Arbor, U-M will almost certainly lose McCaffrey or Milton, and maybe both. That’s too high of a price to pay for a college football season that will be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and where chemistry and camaraderie and familiarity will be more important than ever.
Steve Deace's Take: As long as [five-star 2021 QB commitment] JJ McCarthy signs off on it, and Daniels can be eligible this season, I absolutely would consider it. Push for it even. There isn’t a quarterback currently on the roster with a better recruiting profile and on-field resume than he already has. Plus, he was heavily recruited by Michigan, so he’s not a total stranger here.
If we learned anything in 2017 it’s that you can’t have too much competition and depth at quarterback. And if we learn anything from college football now, it’s that you can’t count on having 3-4 years to develop guys and they stick around.
Quarterbacks transfer more than any other position. But making sure he’s eligible this season to space out his time from McCarthy is key for me, because I wouldn’t do anything to risk getting his signature on a NLI come December.
Brandon Brown's Take: I actually don’t think Michigan should pursue JT Daniels. I’m all for stockpiling as much talent as possible in an attempt to make each position group better, but I’m just not convinced Daniels would actually improve the quarterback room at U-M.
He was a superstar in high school and became a true freshman stater at USC, but didn’t exactly light it up as a Trojan. His 15-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio isn’t exactly inspiring and athletically he’s just average. He’d be a downgrade as a runner compared to both Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton. Throw in the fact that he’s coming off a torn ACL and may have to sit out a year and I just don’t see pursuing him being worthwhile.
Additionally, both McCaffrey and Milton seem to have the respect of their teammates. That’s a bit of a wildcard with Daniels. He’d be coming in brand new, not knowing anyone and may be extremely limited in terms of even meeting everyone given the COVID-19 pandemic.
For me, it has nothing to do with the negative stigma that can sometimes surround transfer players or the idea of Jim Harbaugh bringing in another transfer QB to try and run the offense, but I still don’t think Michigan should pursue Daniels. Everyone has been clamoring for McCaffrey or Milton to get their shot, and I think they should, mostly because I don’t see Daniels as an upgrade.
Eric Rutter's Take: Adding JT Daniels to the quarterback room is a wise move on paper, but the logistics of doing so are complicated. As Michael said, this is not your typical offseason, and Daniels would face more challenges than normal for a transfer quarterback. But with that under consideration, Daniels completed just under 60% of his passes in 2018 and posted a 73.5% clip a year ago, albeit on far fewer attempts. His tangible skill set is clear, and the Wolverines would likely benefit from adding a player of his caliber.
Is adding Daniels crucial to Michigan’s on-field success this fall? Hopefully not. Could he help ease the transition from Shea Patterson to Dylan McCaffrey / Joe Milton? If the U-M staff thinks so, then go full steam ahead in pursuit of Daniels.
To weigh in on the decision, vote here and let us know in the comments section.
