JT Daniels is one of college football’s more fascinating cautionary tales. He was a five-star quarterback who bounced through four different programs in six years. He collected a national championship ring and then walked away from the game at 24 to become a coach. 

Daniels was once hailed as the National High School Player of the Year in 2017. But his career became a journey through USC, Georgia, West Virginia, and Rice. Now he’s on the sidelines at FCS West Georgia as an offensive analyst. He is working with quarterbacks and trying to share the hard-earned wisdom from a career that never quite lived up to its initial billing.​

Who is JT Daniels?

Jonathan Tyler Daniels was born February 2, 2000, in Irvine, California, and emerged from Mater Dei High School as one of the most celebrated quarterback prospects in the country. He became just the second freshman to ever start a season opener for USC in 2018, throwing for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 starts as a true freshman. 

But a knee injury in the 2019 season opener derailed what looked like a Heisman trajectory. And Daniels never quite recaptured that early momentum. He’s one of those players who seemed to understand the game on a level beyond his years, but his body couldn’t hold up long enough for his talent to fully materialize.​

What stands out most about Daniels is the grace with which he handled a career that constantly zigged when it should have zagged. “I don’t feel like I’ve been wronged by a university or a group of people. I have great relationships with USC and UGA and great relationships at West Virginia. It’s all just been a part of the process,” he told ESPN in 2022. 

After suffering four concussions and medically retiring following nine games at Rice in 2023, Daniels earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia and began pursuing his master’s at Rice. He joined the coaching ranks in March 2024 at West Georgia, reuniting with offensive coordinator Dane Stevens, who was a graduate assistant during Daniels’ USC days.​

JT Daniels’ Georgia career

Daniels transferred to Georgia after his injury at USC and had to wait his turn behind Stetson Bennett. He finally got his shot in the seventh game of the 2020 season when Bennett suffered a shoulder injury. His debut was spectacular. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-24 win over Mississippi State.

 “Mississippi State kind of sold out to stop the run. It was lucky I had Todd Monken calling it and George (Pickens), Jermaine (Burton), Kearis (Jackson), Darnell (Washington), a lot of guys in the receiving game that stepped up and played really well,” Daniels recalled. He became the 10th quarterback in Georgia history to throw four touchdown passes in a game and earned SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Daniels finished that season with a perfect 4-0 record as a starter, throwing for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns with a 178.5 passer rating.​

The 2021 season told a different story, though Daniels ended up with the ultimate prize. Kirby Smart praised his leadership qualities, saying “JT does a great job of making sure that he’s keeping skill players accountable for what they have to do and demanding excellence.” 

Daniels represented Georgia at SEC Media Days and started the opener against Clemson in a 10-3 win, but injuries kept pushing him in and out of the lineup. Bennett eventually won the job outright, and Daniels appeared in just six games, throwing for 722 yards and seven touchdowns. Despite limited playing time, he left Athens with a 7-0 record as a starter and a national championship ring from Georgia’s first title in 41 years. 

Life after playing

These days, Daniels is grinding it out in Carrollton, Georgia, as an offensive analyst at West Georgia. He works closely with the Wolves’ quarterbacks despite his official title. He joined head coach Joel Taylor’s staff in March 2024, reuniting with offensive coordinator Dane Stevens, who was a graduate assistant at USC during Daniels’ freshman season. 

At just 25 years old, he’s already knee-deep in the coaching lifestyle, breaking down game plans and dissecting quarterback mechanics with players who probably remember watching him play at Georgia. 

“We talk about game plan specific stuff, quarterbacking in general,” Daniels explained. He’s still figuring out if coaching is his forever career. “There’s a few options. I’m also really interested in psychology and also getting my master’s,” he admitted. 

But for now, he’s staying close to the game that gave him so much and took so much away. He even seems content with small-town life in Carrollton, population 26,738, saying “Everywhere I’ve ever been in Georgia, I’ve really enjoyed it. I loved living in Georgia when I lived in Athens. I feel very similar about Carrollton.” So, it is safe to say that Daniels has found his muse.