Tag: Usc football news

Lincoln Riley challenges young USC offensive line to improve consistency

Lincoln Riley knows how central his offensive line is to a successful 2024 USC season.

USC football news is flowing from August camp.  All spring camp and during USC Media Day last month we hear offensive line coach Josh Henson talk about the need for someone to step up and show consistency at the right guard position. Coach Lincoln Riley discussed consistency in play from members of the right side of the USC offensive line here in week two of fall camp.

Riley explained after practice:

“The young guys are talented, inconsistent. It’ll be kind of this second half of camp of who can really take that jump from a consistency standpoint they all have talent to be able to potentially contribute but they are going to have to show more consistency to be able to trust them.”

“I mean there’s still definitely some position battles going on on the o line you know. As that plays out we’ve had a couple of guys banged up through camp. Nothing serious, but  there’s always positives and negatives.”

“There hasn’t been as much continuity. There’s a few guys that we wanted to see a little bit more, but we have had to move a lot of guys around — which has been a positive because you build like what’s going to happen in the season at some point and you build that experience.  So for the ones that have been healthy, it’s been a great thing, but excited to get those guys back and try to get some clarity on that as we get a little bit closer to the first game.”

Can Alani Noa, who started games for the Trojans as a true freshman in 2023 hold off the versatile veteran Gino Quinones or Noa’s 2023 freshmen classmates Micah Banuelos and Amos Talalele?  The battle for the right guard position will be one to watch as fall camp winds down.

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College Football News ranks SEC head coaches: Where’s Kirby Smart?

College Football News ranked the top SEC head coaches. Where is Georgia football’s Kirby Smart?

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season.

Checking in at No. 3 on the list is Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who trails only Nick Saban (1) and Ed Orgeron (2).

At No. 4 is Dan Mullen and at No. 5 is Gus Malzahn.

As much as I’d love for Smart to be in that No. 2 spot, I do not disagree with Fiutak here.

Smart’s time will come, and within the next five years he may very well occupy that No. 1 spot.

For now, he’s sitting at No. 3 on Fiutak’s list, likely right on the verge of taking over that No. 2 ranking. As long as he keeps winning the SEC East, beating rivals and putting his team in striking distance for the College Football Playoff…he’ll be considered a top-five coach in America.

Orgeron or Smart at No. 2 was likely a somewhat difficult decision. Fiutak went with Coach O since he accomplished something Kirby hasn’t yet, a national championship.

I’ve heard it all – “Anyone could win with that roster.”

Sure, Smart probably would have won it with that roster LSU had last year. But, at the end of the day, he didn’t have that roster. No other way around it.

Also, how can you not love Coach O?

As for Saban, there’s no arguing that one.

Twitter reacts as NCAA rules USC transfer JT Daniels to be immediately eligible

Quarterback J.T. Daniels, who recently transferred to the University of Georgia, has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA.

Ex-USC quarterback J.T. Daniels, who recently transferred to the University of Georgia, has been granted immediate eligibility for this season from the NCAA.

The former Trojan is a five-star from Santa Ana, California. He was ranked as the No. 3-rated quarterback in his loaded recruiting class.

In 2018, Daniels threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for USC. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury last season. Kedon Slovis was great in his time as the starter in 2019 and was strongly favored to win the starting job entering the 2020 season.

Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman is projected to start for Georgia next season, but Daniels will compete provide solid depth and talent. Georgia has received a commitment from five-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff in the class of 2021.

Here’s how college football Twitter reacted to the news of Daniels’ eligibility:

https://twitter.com/TreyWallace_/status/1282720128262639616?s=20

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NCAA reaches decision on 2020 eligibility for Georgia QB JT Daniels

USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels has released the NCAA’s decision regarding his eligibility for the 2020 season. Details here

Per his Twitter, former USC quarterback JT Daniels, who recently transferred to Georgia, has been granted immediate eligibility from the NCAA for the 2020 college football season.

“Thank you to the NCAA for granting me immediate eligibility and allowing me to play football this fall. I will not comment on the waiver or transfer, but look forward to a great 2020 season with my teammates.”

The news comes two months after Daniels announced his commitment to the Bulldogs. The former 5-star out of Santa Ana, California was the No. 6 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 3 rated quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

In 2018, as a freshman at USC, Daniels threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal in mid-April after his 2019 sophomore season was derailed by a knee injury. USC’s Kedon Slovis stepped in while Daniels was down and played well for the Trojans, making the transfer portal one of the only options for Daniels – reminiscent of the Eason/Fromm situation.

The Bulldogs are set with Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman as signal caller for 2020, but it’s great to know that Daniels will be available if something were to happen. Hopefully he will get some meaningful snaps to help prepare him to compete with 2021 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff for the starter position next season.

Nation’s No. 1 recruit puts Georgia in top schools

Defensive end Korey Foreman is the No. 1 overall recruit in America puts the Georgia Bulldogs in his top schools.

Korey Foreman, Clemson de-commit, has released his top schools. He was the first player to de-commit from the Clemson program since December,  2016.

Defensive end Korey Foreman is the No. 1 overall recruit in America for the class of 2021. He plays for Centennial High School in Corona, California. The five-star ran into an issue with a Dabo Swinney recruiting policy.

At Clemson, Swinney has a strict ‘no-trip’ policy for committed players. The policy says that players who are committed to the program can’t take trips to check out other schools. For players to visit other programs, they must be uncommitted.

According to 247, Foreman wanted a chance to take visits to other programs, but in order to do so he had to de-commit from Clemson.

He released his top schools via Twitter:

Foreman puts Clemson, USC, Georgia, Oregon, Alabama, LSU, and Howard in his top schools. Could Foreman be another talented recruit to join Howard?

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What will Georgia’s QB room look like now?

After JT Daniels announced he’s transferring to UGA, the Georgia football QB room look a lot more interesting now.

On Thursday, former USC quarterback JT Daniels announced he is transferring to The University of Georgia, adding competition to an already talented UGA quarterback room.

Whether or not Daniels will be immediately eligible to play at Georgia is not yet known. But if he is cleared to play in 2020, things will be a lot more interesting in Athens this year.

The addition of Todd Monken as offensive coordinator this offseason looks to be attracting some top quarterback talent to Georgia. Since the departure of Jake Fromm to the NFL, Georgia has now brought in five new passers, as outlined by Jeff Sentell of DawgNation:

  • Graduate transfer Jamie Newman
  • Transfer JT Daniels
  • Early enrollee Carson Beck
  • Preferred walk-on Austin Kirksey
  • Preferred walk-on Jackson Muschamp

Newman, Daniels, Stetson Bennett IV, redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and true freshman Carson Beck are the key quarterbacks to keep an eye on this year, though.

Not only is Newman, who Georgia landed early in the offseason, expected to start, but he is viewed as a guy who could contend for the Heisman.

If Daniels can play this season, how Kirby Smart handles the two high-profile quarterbacks will be a huge storyline following what’s taken place in Athens recently with Justin Fields, Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm.

Regardless, competition at the quarterback position is always a great thing to have.

And for 2021, whether or not Daniels receives immediate eligibility this year, he’ll have plenty of competition. With Beck possibly going to be a redshirt freshman in 2021 and with 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff committed to UGA in the class of 2021, the Dawgs could have yet another quarterback competition on their hands. But despite what we’ve seen from Georgia in recent memory with Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm, starting a true freshman at quarterback in the SEC is not terribly ideal, so Vandagriff taking a redshirt year would not be so bad. We’ll have to wait and see if this impacts Vandagriff’s decision to play for Georgia.

What Beck will do is interesting to ponder as well. If he is unable to beat out Vandagriff or Daniels in 2021 could he look to transfer from Georgia? Remember, he’s a big-time talent as well who signed with UGA as a 4-star prospect in this year’s recruiting class and enrolled early in Athens. But he’s also a competitor who has his sights set on starting for the Bulldogs.

Matt DeBary of DawgPost does not believe this will lead to either Beck or Vandagriff backing off their decision to play for the Dawgs.

As for Mathis, I would not be surprised to see him transfer out of UGA, as it’s unlikely he gets the starting nod over Newman, Daniels, Beck or Vandagriff. However, if Daniels is not eligible to play this year, it’s possible that Mathis is the second-string quarterback in 2020 behind Newman. Sticking with that scenario (Daniels being ineligible), maybe Smart would feel less inclined to slap a redshirt on Beck and allow him and Mathis to battle it out for the second-string job. But if Mathis gets buried on the depth chart, that’s a real bummer. A former 4-star in the class of 2019, he has overcome so much in his short time as a collegiate athlete and is ready to return to action following surgery to remove a cyst on his brain last summer. Whatever Mathis decides to do, I hope it works out well for him.

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Twitter reacts to Georgia landing USC transfer QB JT Daniels

See Twitter reactions to USC QB JT Daniels transferring to the Georgia football program.

It’s official. USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels is a Georgia Bulldog per his Twitter account. The former 5-star out of Santa Ana, California was the No. 6 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 3 rated quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

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As a freshman, Daniels threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal in mid-April after his sophomore season was derailed by a knee injury. USC’s Kedon Slovis stepped in while Daniels was down and played well for the Trojans, making the transfer portal one of the only options for Daniels – reminiscent of the Eason/Fromm situation…

Georgia will have a lot of talent in its quarterback room this year.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the news:

 

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Georgia lands USC QB transfer JT Daniels, a former 5-star recruit

Georgia football has landed USC Trojans QB transfer JT Daniels, a former 5-star recruit.

The buzz picked up Thursday morning that USC Trojans quarterback JT Daniels would be transferring to Georgia.

At around 4 p.m. ET, Daniels made it official, tweeting that he is indeed taking his talents to Athens.

Daniels, who entered the transfer portal in mid-April, signed with USC as a five-star pro-style quarterback in the class of 2018. Out of Santa Ana, California, he ranked as the nation’s No. 6 overall player and as the third ranked quarterback, behind only Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

He started for the Trojans in 2018 as a true freshman and has only used one full year of eligibility. Daniels’ freshman season had its ups and downs. He threw for 14 touchdowns and 2,672 yards with 10 interceptions, and the Trojans finished with a disappointing 5–7 record. Daniels was the starter to open the 2019 season as well, but tore his ACL and meniscus in the season-opener. After that, it was Kedon Slovis who came in and threw for 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. With Slovis returning this year, it left Daniels no choice but to look to play elsewhere. Similar to the Jacob Eason/Georgia situation.

What it means for Georgia in 2020 is not yet clear. If he does gain immediate eligibility to play this year, it will make things a lot more interesting in Athens. Georgia landed Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman this offseason. Not only is Newman expected to start, but he is viewed as a guy who could contend for the Heisman. Already on the roster at quarterback this year is Newman, Stetson Bennett IV, redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and true freshman Carson Beck.

And for 2021, whether or not Daniels receives immediate eligibility this year he’ll have plenty of competition. With Beck set to be a redshirt freshman next year and with 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff committed to UGA in the class of 2021, the Dawgs could have yet another quarterback competition on their hands. But despite what we’ve seen from Georgia in recent memory with Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm, starting a true freshman at quarterback in the SEC is not terribly ideal, so Vandagriff taking a redshirt year would not be so bad. We’ll have to wait and see if this possibly impacts Vandagriff’s decision to play for Georgia. What Beck will do is interesting to ponder as well. If he is unable to beat out Vandagriff or Daniels in 2021 he may look to transfer from Georgia. Remember, he’s a big-time talent as well who signed with UGA as a 4-star prospect in this year’s recruiting class and enrolled early in Athens. But he’s also a competitor who has his sights set on starting for the Bulldogs. As for Mathis, I would not be surprised to see him transfer out of UGA, as it’s unlikely he gets the starting nod over Newman, Daniels, Beck or Vandagriff.

The addition of Todd Monken as offensive coordinator this offseason looks to be attracting some top quarterback talent to Athens. Since the departure of Jake Fromm to the NFL, Georgia has added five new faces to its quarterback room, as pointed out by Jeff Sentell and DawgNation. 

  • Graduate transfer Jamie Newman
  • Transfer JT Daniels
  • Early enrollee Carson Beck
  • Preferred walk-on Austin Kirksey
  • Preferred walk-on Jackson Muschamp

 

JT Daniels highlights here

JT Daniels may be transferring to the Georgia football program. Enjoy these highlights here.

There’s been a lot of buzz Thursday that USC quarterback JT Daniels may be transferring to Georgia.

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Daniels, a former five-star quarterback in the class of 2018, started for the Trojans in 2018. He was the starter again in 2019 but suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the season-opener. That’s when Kedon Slovis came in and threw for 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. Daniels lost the starting spot and figured his best bet to make it to the NFL was by transferring.

Daniels’ freshman season, he threw for 14 touchdowns and 2,672 yards with 10 interceptions, and the Trojans finished with a disappointing 5–7 record. Despite the up and down freshman year, Daniels can ball. That’s why he was the third ranked quarterback coming out of high school, behind only Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

It’s not official yet, but it’s looking to be a sure-thing. In the meantime, enjoy these Daniels highlights.

 

 

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DJ Shockley weighs in on JT Daniels potentially transferring to Georgia

Georgia football great DJ Shockley likes the idea of USC Trojans QB JT Daniels transferring to play for UGA.

There has been a lot of buzz Thursday morning that USC quarterback JT Daniels, who is currently in the NCAA transfer portal, is almost a sure-thing to transfer to Georgia. 

Daniels, who entered the transfer portal in mid-April, signed with USC as a five-star pro-style quarterback in the class of 2018. Out of Santa Ana, California, he ranked as the nation’s No. 6 overall player and as the third ranked quarterback, behind only Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

Following the news that Daniels may soon become a Bulldog, former Georgia SEC Championship winning quarterback DJ Shockley weighed in, and commented on how important it is to have competition at the quarterback position.

“Competition at its highest level at its top spot…..QB!!! Only good can come from good competition,” Shockley said on Twitter.

Daniels started for the Trojans in 2018 as a true freshman and has only used one full year of eligibility. Daniels’ freshman season had its ups and downs. He threw for 14 touchdowns and 2,672 yards with 10 interceptions, and the Trojans finished with a disappointing 5–7 record. Daniels was the starter to open the 2019 season as well, but tore his ACL and meniscus in the season-opener. After that, it was Kedon Slovis who came in and threw for 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. With Slovis returning this year, it left Daniels no choice but to look to play elsewhere. Similar to the Jacob Eason/Georgia situation.

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