CFB: Welcome USC's J.T. Daniels
USC is having to start over when it comes to their quarterback situation because two-year starter, Sam Darnold, is heading to the NFL, where we have him projected to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Browns. So where does that leave USC? Darnold was one of the best QBs in the entire nation during his stretch and led the Trojans to two consecutive New Year's Six Bowls, winning the Rose Bowl in 2016 and the Pac-12 title last season. And now the Trojans have a trio of signal callers that will attempt to fill Darnold's massive void.
The only that has seen the field is Matt Fink, and he's barely played. Unfortunately for him, he's also the least heralded of the three. The advantage that he does have is the experience, even if it's not very much. He's at least been in the program for a longer period. The other option is Jack Sears who was rated as the No. 4 pro style QB in the 2017 class, but redshirted last year. And the final choice would be J.T. Daniels, the No. 2 pro style quarterback in the 2018 class and the No. 16 overall recruit. It's about time for us to take notice of Daniels' potential.
He completed 71.8 percent of his passes in 2017 and threw for 52 touchdowns to just four picks. I know it's high school ball and the competition varies, but still, that's pretty impressive. Daniel's attends Mater Dei High School, one of the most prestigious schools in the country for athletics, and received offers from dozens of schools including Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Stanford. He was highly sought after, and chose to go to USC. Now it seems Daniels would be the obvious choice to start, but the only issue is when he'll be arriving on campus.
He's not going to start at USC until the fall, and football season is right around the corner from that. Not to mention that he won't be a participant in the Spring Game. It's going to be tough for him to gain ground on Fink and Sears, given how late his arrival will be. But if you remember correctly, Darnold didn't start the season on the top of the depth chart in 2016. He subbed in against Alabama in Week 1 and ultimately led USC to double digit wins. I'm not saying Daniels is going to do the same, but even if he doesn't start Week 1 against UNLV, expect Daniels to make an impact his freshman year.
Photo Credit: 247 Sports.
