BREAKING: USC quarterback JT Daniels out for season with torn ACL, meniscus

An MRI revealed that USC quarterback JT Daniels suffered a torn ACL and meniscus and will miss the remainder of the 2019 season, according to sources close to the situation.

Coach Clay Helton confirmed the diagnosis Sunday night and said Daniels will have surgery in a few weeks after a bit of rehab. The timetable is 9-12 months, which could make Daniels available for the start of the 2020 season. He'll be a redshirt sophomore.

The initial hope from the medical staff after an initial round of tests was that Daniels had a severe knee sprain and avoided a season-ending injury. But further testing confirmed tears in his right knee.

"I want to thank JT for the amount of work that he's put in, not only to himself but to our football team," Helton said Sunday evening. "The offseason that he had was tremendous and it was really so nice to see what he was doing in the first half.

"He will be missed but we'll have to move forward and we wish him nothing but the best in the surgery."

Daniels landed awkwardly while sacked late in the second quarter of USC’s 31-23 win over Fresno State. He was soon helped off the field and unable to put any weight on his right leg before being carted off to the locker room.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Daniels finished 25 of 34 for 215 yards with a touchdown and interception. Helton said true freshman Kedon Slovis will start this upcoming Saturday versus Stanford.

"Got all the confidence in the world in his ability," Helton said of Slovis. "We have the utmost trust in his ability to get the job done and we look forward to watching him play on Saturday."

Slovis relieved Daniels and went 6 of 8 for 57 yards with an interception while playing the entire second half versus Fresno State. The Trojans currently have just one other scholarship QB on the roster, redshirt junior Matt Fink, after redshirt sophomore Jack Sears left the team and entered the transfer portal last week upon being slotted fourth on the depth chart.

Add us as a preferred source on Google