Film Study: Is JT Daniels as Advertised?

Quarterback JT Daniels is someone everyone wants to talk about in the Georgia fan base, but is he as advertised? We take a look at the film to answer that question.

This season has featured some of the most inconsistent play we have seen at quarterback for the Bulldogs in quite some time. After three seasons of watching one of the most accurate quarterbacks in Georgia history, Jake Fromm, the fan base hasn't seen quarterback play this bad since former quarterback Joe Cox led the offense.

It begs the question: how did the position end up this bad? How did it come down to a former walk-on taking the QB1 snaps? It's been a wild saga for the Dawgs at quarterback this year, and the question marks still haven't been answered seven weeks into the season. With the Dawgs' playoff hopes pretty much crushed, where does that leave head coach Kirby Smart to turn to moving forward? Many would argue that Smart needs to change it up with the quarterback and try to get the offense rolling with someone new.

With the Missouri game postponed Saturday, that gives Smart more time to hopefully get things figured out. Smart mentioned in his press conference Wednesday that the Dawgs would take this time off as a "mini-spring" practice. Could that mean that fans will see something different the next time Georgia plays on Nov. 21 against Mississippi State?

Earlier in the week, news broke that quarterback Stetson Bennett was "questionable" with an AC sprain in his right shoulder. With Bennett unable to throw  on Monday or Tuesday, Carson Beck and Daniels received more snaps in practice than usual. Sources close to the program said Daniels is taking most of the first-team snaps. Many are probably wondering, why has it taken this long? He can't be worse than Bennett or Mathis. While that might be right considering what has been seen this year from the position, but film study shows that it's also not all sunshine and rainbows with Daniels. 

Daniels was a highly-ranked recruit coming out of Mater Dei High School. He was the No. 3 quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. The hype around Daniels coming out of high school was unreal. He even skipped his senior year of high school because he was that good. 

He committed to USC and appeared to have an immediate impact with the Trojans as he was named the starter as a true freshman. Daniels had his ups and downs and finished the year with 2,672 yards, along with his 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That's not too bad for a true freshman who was 17 years old.

However, when the tape is evaluated, small things are noticed that may be the reason he hasn't got a chance for the Bulldogs this year. Physically, Daniels is perfect for the position. He is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and has a rocket arm. He has all the intangibles needed in a quarterback. The problem is there are some mechanical issues with his throwing motion.

At Dawgs Daily on SI.com, we are blessed to have someone that breaks down film and shows people what is true. Brooks Austin gave provided a breakdown Wednesday night of Daniels to show us why he may not be starting at this point in the season. Daniels is someone who is going to be a hit-or-miss guy. That's why in practices, differences in him are noticeable from one practice to the next. One day he is "the guy," and the next, he looks like he should be the third-string quarterback. He's an up-and-down player, and it shows in his film.

Take a look: 

Everyone has to keep in mind that Smart inherited Daniels from an ACL tear and a completely new offensive coordinator. It's dangerous to throw a young quarterback into the fire and let him figure it out on his own (especially with how most SEC fan bases like to tear into quarterbacks). Watching the film, it appears that Kirby and offensive coordinator Todd Monken want to see more consistency out of Daniels. USC was 5-7 with Daniels as their starter in 2018. In the five games they won, the Trojans ran for an average of 196 yards on the ground. 

However, there is a willingness to improve. Daniels asked Smart if he could get some scout-team reps last week so he could be on the field and get some reps under his belt. He is working hard and might be climbing up the long totem pole of Georgia quarterbacks with Bennett going down.