USC to UW? Exploring the Possibility of adding JT Daniels

In a move most saw coming, former five-star quarterback JT Daniels has entered the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-3 signal caller suffered a knee injury in the first game of the 2019 season, ending his campaign. Pairing the injury and the success of Kedon Slovis, Daniels elected to look outside of Memorial Coliseum to play his next game.

When a high-profile name enters the transfer portal, every fan base wonders if its school could be a good fit.

Coach Jimmy Lake previously hosted Stanford grad transfer KJ Costello, leaving the door open for a possible courtship of Daniels.

Washington has a trio of four-star quarterbacks in an open competition to be the next starter. All have attractive abilities that give each one an argument to be QB-1.

Inserting JT Daniels would add yet another big name to the list.

Daniels, the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2018 class (0.9919, 247 rating) won the starting job in fall camp his true freshman year at USC. The youngster took his lumps early and improved as the season progressed.

In the first game of last season, Daniels looked comfortable in the Trojans' version of the Air Raid offense. He was decisive in his reads, gaining 215 yards while completing 25 of 34 passes before the injury.

Outside of his pure talent, the advantages to bringing in a quarterback like Daniels are obvious.

"Daniels could bring valuable experience to Washington," Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated's Mike Martin said. "The Huskies have three very talented but unproven quarterbacks."

Similar to Jacob Eason, JT Daniels started on one of the biggest stages in college football.

Regardless of how SC does from year to year, the Trojans are consistently on national television and often boast one of the toughest non-conference schedules in America.

Martin sees this as the best reason to bring the former Trojan player to Montlake, saying, “I’m not sure he is more talented than any other quarterback, but the fact he has experience is so valuable.”

There are some issues to be sure with bringing in the former five-star quarterback.

For one, the Huskies have a line at the quarterback position already.

Martin doesn’t see a huge talent gap between Jacob Sirmon and Daniels.

“Go look at Sirmon’s high school tape," Martin said. "He has a cannon.”

But it doesn't end there for Martin's appreciation of the Bothell native, who has thrown just three passes in five mop-up appearances for the Huskies.

“His control of the pocket is also elite," Martin said of other Sirmon's qualities that intrigue him. "In his junior year at Bothell, he is standing at the goal line with a defender around his ankles and flicks the ball 65 yards down the field.”

Another argument against adding Daniels is transferring within the conference. Coaches can block a player from playing right away if he transfers to another league member.

With a UW-USC Pac-12 title game always a possibility, Trojans coach Clay Helton is well within his rights to make the quarterback sit out a year.

Jake Grant, co-host of the Fourth and Inches podcast for Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated, sees too many roadblocks that will prevent Daniels from heading north on I-5.

“The possibility of JT Daniels donning the purple and gold is slim," Grant said. "He may be a better fit for him going down to the Big 12 or SEC, where he is guaranteed to play right away."

As noted by Martin in a recent column, the culture of college football for quarterbacks has changed. More players and coaches are utilizing the transfer portal to their advantage.

“It's time people realize the changing dynamics," Martin said. "It's not 1988 or even 2008 -- it's 2020. QBs can transfer. QBs WILL transfer.”

As the rules become more lax, It is not a given anymore that Daniels would be barred from suiting up on day one.

It would be no surprise at all if JT Daniels heard from Washington soon.