Tag: Georgia QB JT Daniels

Georgia QB JT Daniels has impressive spring game

Georgia football QB JT Daniels puts up impressive numbers at Georgia’s 2021 G-Day spring game.

Georgia quarterback JT Daniels proved to head coach Kirby Smart, his team and Dawg fans everywhere why he’s their QB1 heading into the 2021 football season with his impressive G-Day performance this Saturday.

Daniels completed 28 of his 41 passing attempts, throwing for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns, helping the Red Team secure a 28 – 23 victory over the Black Team.

Daniels had high praise for his receiving corps, even missing his two top guys in George Pickens and Jermaine Burton.

When asked what he learned about his wide receivers today in a post game interview, Daniels replied: “I wouldn’t say we learned anything new.  Being at practice, it’s just another day to us.  We’ve seen AD and D Rob and Kearis and all the guys make plays like that before.”

Daniels hooked up with freshman wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for a 24-yard highlight touchdown just before the half to put the Red Team up by four.  Later, he would throw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Demetris Robertson in stride for the win.

Georgia’s incoming backup quarterbacks Brock Vandagriff and Carson Beck also looked very sharp, taking some stress off of coach Smart and the Georgia offense for the foreseeable future.

Watch JT’s G-Day highlights here:

ESPN ranks D’Wan Mathis as most important player in 2020 CFP chase

ESPN released their 25 most important players in the College Football Playoff chase, ranking Georgia football QB D’Wan Mathis at No. 1.

ESPN released their list of the 25 most important players in the College Football Playoff chase, ranking Georgia quarterbacks J.T. Daniels and D’Wan Mathis at No. 1.

Mathis was originally committed to Ohio State before he flipped his commitment to Georgia following Justin Fields’ decision to transfer to the Buckeyes in 2018.  Mathis was informed in 2019 that he had a cyst on his brain that required serious surgery.  This medical issue threatened Mathis’ football career, with doctors telling him he might never step on a field and play football again.

Now, the redshirt freshman Mathis will defy the odds, starting under center in his first collegiate game this Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman announced on September 2nd that he was opting out of the 2020 college football season, due to COVID-19 concerns, and will focus on the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. That decision left Georgia’s quarterback position wide open for the taking.

Many thought USC transfer J.T. Daniels would get the nod, but Daniels is still not fully cleared for contact from his ACL tear he suffered a season ago.  The 6-foot-5, 205 pound Mathis has been listed as Georgia’s starter going into Week One, following some very solid weeks impressing head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken at training camp.

Mathis will have a plethora of weapons at his disposal.  Zamir White and James Cook headline the Georgia backfield, giving Mathis some great options in the run game and short passing game.  Mathis will also have his deep target in sophomore wide receiver George Pickens, who led the team in all receiving categories his freshman year.

From almost having his football career ended to being named the starting quarterback of the Georgia Bulldogs, Mathis is an amazing sports story that the entirety of the college football world will be watching this Saturday.

Here’s what ESPN’s Bill Connelly had to say about Mathis and his impact on this year’s College Football Playoff chase:

A new starting QB who has the potential to wreck his opponents’ title dreams and fulfill his own frustrated program’s ambitions? Sounds like the most important player in college football to me.

1. QB JT Daniels or D’Wan Mathis, Georgia: Daniels was No. 8 on this list last year, when it looked like he was getting tasked with saving Clay Helton’s job at USC. He got hurt in the first game, however, and lost his job to sudden star Kedon Slovis. Now at Georgia, Daniels could be the guy to push the Dawgs out of last year’s “all-world defense, terribly limited offense” imbalance. But first he has to be cleared for competition.

His ongoing recovery from injury has opened the door for Mathis, who spent 2019 on the sideline after having a cyst removed from his brain. Mathis has apparently impressed head coach Kirby Smart and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

It doesn’t really matter who ends up starting here; it only matters that whoever it is thrives. Georgia will start 2020 with the most proven defense in college football, and while the offense could use another top skill-corps player, it still has a couple of proven linemen in receiver George Pickens, running backs Zamir White and James Cook and a new batch of blue-chippers. With great quarterback play, the Dawgs go from SEC East co-favorites to, potentially, national title co-favorites. Sounds like the QB of choice is the most important player in the country to me.

UGA QB depth chart following Jamie Newman opt out

Georgia football’s QB depth chart following the news of Jamie Newman opting out of the 2020 CFB season.

Georgia fans have been heavily anticipating the Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman since he announced he would be playing for UGA in the 2020 season.  Newman announced Wednesday that he will instead be opting out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns and will now prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

This news was not expected, with the Bulldog’s season kickoff in Fayetteville, Arkansas just over three weeks away.

Now, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken will have to scramble to have their next man up ready to go come September 26.

Here is a look at Georgia’s quarterback depth chart following the news of Newman opting out.

JT Daniels – RS Sophomore

The Bulldogs redshirt sophomore quarterback JT Daniels comes to UGA after spending the first two seasons of his career at USC. Daniels, the 5-star QB recruit, transferred from the Trojans following an ACL injury he suffered during the 2019 season opener. Daniels is still rehabbing the injury and isn’t fully cleared to play as of late Aug. 2020.

Daniels has an opportunity this season in Athens with the departure of Buffalo Bills quarterback Jake Fromm. He will likely compete with D’Wan Mathis and Carson Beck for the starting job when he is cleared. The NCAA granted him immediate illegibility on his transfer.

In three seasons at the Mater Dei High School, Daniels averaged more than 50 touchdown passes and 4,000 passing yards per season. Daniels was rated as the No. 3 quarterback in his recruiting class behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

D’Wan Mathis – RS Freshman

Mathis came to UGA as the No. 11 quarterback in the 2019 class, flipping from his original commitment to Ohio State. Mathis was shocked when he found out he needed emergency brain surgery to remove a cyst on his brain last May.

The surgery took football out of the equation for Mathis in 2019, and it was possible he would never play again.  Just a year after his surgery, Mathis has been medically cleared for all football activities.

The 6-foot-6, 205 pounder has a very strong arm and shows great confidence, especially in the pocket. He steps up in the pocket with ease and moves very well while looking downfield. Mathis also has the speed and agility to spread the field and add another threat with his legs to opposing defenses.

Carson Beck – Freshman

Freshman quarterback Carson Beck enrolled early this year at UGA. Beck was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020. Additionally, before coming to Athens, Beck competed at the 2019 Elite 11 camp.

The Jacksonville, Florida native stands at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and is a complete pro-style quarterback.  Beck has all the physical tools to be successful in the SEC.  He has a powerful throwing arm, throwing his deep balls with a high arch, allowing his receivers to catch up to it.  Beck can also straighten his passes out to get to the ball to his receivers quickly when he needs to.

He shows a lot of confidence for a freshman and could seriously make a run as Georgia’s starter under center this season.

Stetson Bennett – Junior

Stetson Bennett came to Georgia in 2017 as a backup QB, eventually leaving for junior college in 2018.  That year at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, Bennett lit it up, eventually deciding to return to Athens in 2019.

Bennett played a pivotal role for the Bulldogs in the 2017-18 season.  While preparing for Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl, Bennett played the role of former Sooners QB Baker Mayfield, trying to get the Dawgs defense ready for the Heisman Trophy winner.

“Stetson Bennett is a beast, man. Stetson Bennett … Stetson Bennett puts a lot of pressure on our defense.” said former Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.

Bennett showed glimpses of greatness during Georgia’s spring game in 2019 and will be a very solid backup in 2020.  He went 20 of 27 on his pass attempts last season and had a pair of touchdowns.