What the Addition of JT Daniels Means for WVU's QB Room
Wednesday morning, WVU head coach Neal Brown received a call from former Georgia quarterback JT Daniels that he will be transferring into the program. Daniels visited Morgantown over the weekend and ultimately chose the Mountaineers over Missouri and Oregon State.
Daniels, a former five-star recruit and the No. 2 QB in the 2018 recruiting class, got his start at USC where he spent the first two years of his career. He won the starting job as a true freshman, becoming the first player at USC to do so since Matt Barkley did it in 2009. As a true freshman, Daniels threw for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Riding into his sophomore season, Daniels was expected to have a breakout year and be in the running for the Heisman Trophy. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a torn ACL he suffered in a 31-23 win over Fresno State.
Daniels battled oblique and lat injuries during his two seasons at Georgia and watched former walk-on Stetson Bennett lead the Bulldogs to its first national title since 1980. With Bennett deciding to return for one more year, Daniels hit the portal and will now reunite with his former offensive coordinator at USC, Graham Harrell.
So, with Daniels now in the fold, what does this mean for the other three quarterbacks on the roster? Well, there is still a lot of work to be done in spring ball and until Daniels begins participating in practices, those opportunities will still be there. The crown jewel of WVU's 2022 recruiting class, Nicco Marchiol, has had an up and down spring but that was to be expected for a kid who should still be in high school. Before the Mountaineers turn the keys of the offense over to Marchiol, he needs time.
As for Garrett Greene and Will "Goose" Crowder, this puts them in a tough spot. In today's era of college football, it's almost unheard of to have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. I'm not insinuating one of the two will enter the transfer portal, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if it were to happen. Greene is a dual-threat quarterback that still has a long way to go when it comes to becoming a legitimate threat with his arm. Decision-making and reading defenses are two areas the WVU staff wants Greene to improve in as well and with him entering his third year in the program, that needs to happen sooner than later.
Although Daniels is certainly in line to win the starting job, the others in that QB room need to remain ready given Daniels' injury history. This may entice both Greene and Crowder to stay instead of entering the portal this offseason. Plus, Daniels has two years of eligibility remaining if he were to take advantage of his COVID year. Should Daniels ball out and decide to leave after one year, the starting job will be up for grabs again and the job won't just be passed down from Daniels to Marchiol. There's also the possibility that Daniels struggles and if that happens, one of the other three will have an opportunity to steal the job away from him.
Daniels' arrival is big for the Mountaineers and gives them a much better chance to compete in 2022 but it doesn't necessarily mean that this will immediately cause a transfer.
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