Georgia football is in its third week of spring practice and just five practices away from G-Day, the annual spring game held in Sanford Stadium.
After Tuesday’s practice, coach Kirby Smart and several players spoke to the media, including quarterback JT Daniels. The former USC transfer took UGA and the SEC by storm when he replaced Stetson Bennett versus Mississippi State and went on to throw for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He finished the season undefeated and with a win over No. 8 Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Now, the Heisman hopeful leads a loaded Bulldog roster into a potential championship season.
Here’s what the junior signal caller said:
- On what being a quarterback means to him…
“I think, first and foremost, it starts with how you approach everything you do, especially as a veteran now. This is my fourth season in college football. I remember when I was coming in how I looked up to the older guys in the building, and I can only imagine that other guys look up to the Lewis Cines [and] guys that have been here for a while, and others that have played a lot of ball like myself. The first thing is how it starts with how you approach everything, and I think it’s also really important how I’ve focused on is just my overall body language and my mannerisms. I’ve always been just more of a laid-back kind of guy, especially on the field. I’ve never been a hype man, that’s just never been my thing. But I’ve put more effort into not just words of encouragement but trying to keep everyone focused on task if someone is not doing the right thing. And if I’m not doing the right thing, someone is going to tell me, and I’ve got to do the same thing and dish it out. But there’s just a lot of areas of leadership that I’ve really tried to take a step.”
- On when he took the role as leader on the team…
“I think that something we talk about a lot as a team is that everybody on the team is a leader, whether you are just joining and you are a walk-on, or if you are a Jamaree Salyer, or a Lewis [Cine], you’re [Ameer] Speed, or anyone of them. I think obviously your role expands the more you play, and you just have a bigger platform in that area. But I think that since I’ve been here, I’ve always tried to take the approach of first leading by example, then once I think you earn a certain level of trust in your teammates, from them seeing how you work and knowing that you’re here for them, then you can start being more vocal and doing more things.”
- On what it means that Coach Smart named him this season’s starting QB…
“The first thing is that it is a really great honor to be a starting Division I quarterback, especially at a program like Georgia. And to hear from your coach that you do try really hard to show out for, it’s something that is really cool to hear. And it definitely is a confidence booster just to hear that your coach believes in you.”
A new episode of “UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton” podcast is streaming now! This week, J.C. talks Georgia spring practice news, new scheduling additions and Dawgs in the NFL free agency updates. Listen here: