JT Daniels, a former five-star prospect
viewed as USC’s next great quarterback when he signed with the program in 2018, crumpled to the ground under the weight of multiple Fresno State defenders. His right knee twisted in an ugly direction, and he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus, though the extent of the injury wouldn’t be confirmed until the next day.
What did that moment mean for Daniels’ future? What did it mean for USC’s season? How would it alter the Trojans’ quarterback timeline moving forward? What would happen if Daniels’ backup, true freshman and former three-star prospect Kedon Slovis, played well?
The months since have provided some answers. The injury cut Daniels’ season short. Slovis, who passed for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns as a true freshman, performed way better than anyone could have imagined and dramatically altered the outlook of USC’s QB situation, creating the inevitability of a quarterback competition this offseason.
But that competition may be over before it ever really had the chance to begin. On Thursday USC announced Daniels has decided to explore his options and enter the transfer portal, in a statement that also left the door open for Daniels’ return to the program. It was the latest ripple effect of that night last August, and it makes one thing crystal clear: Daniels’ time at USC may not be over, but his time as the Trojans’ starting quarterback has come to an end.
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How did it come to this? Everything starts with Slovis. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell constantly praised the freshman, going as far as saying that talent-wise, he’s as good as he’s ever seen. Still, it was surprising when Slovis beat out two older players in the battle to be named Daniels’ backup last August.
A week after Daniels suffered his season-ending injury, Slovis burst onto the national scene with a 28-for-33 passing effort for 377 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford, setting the tone for a stellar true freshman season that displayed how great of a fit he was within Harrell’s offense.
Slovis flashed a reliable arm, showed great poise in the pocket for a true freshman and finished as one of the most accurate passers in the country. In the process, he developed a very close relationship with Harrell.
Speaking with The Athletic in December,Harrell’s wife and father both pointed to Slovis as a reason why Harrell decided to return to USC after he was pursued for other jobs this winter.
Daniels has the potential to be really good, but the Trojans are already certain of what Slovis can do, so even though a nominal competition loomed in the fall, it was always difficult to envision anyone unseating Slovis atop the quarterback depth chart. It had become abundantly clear who the guy is for USC at quarterback. Daniels’ decision to enter the transfer portal is a public indication of that.
A source intimated that Daniels has paid close attention to the possible implementation of a one-time transfer exception by the NCAA, which would give first-time transfers immediate eligibility to play wherever they transfer to. At the moment, per NCAA transfer rules, transfers have to sit out a year unless they receive a waiver from the NCAA.
That exception still needs to be ironed out and approved, though, so Daniels is exploring his options, and he will have plenty of suitors. Daniels was the No. 3 overall quarterback in the 2018 recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite, behind only Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, who have lived up to their rankings in college. If Daniels is not immediately eligible to transfer, there is some optimism at USC that Daniels would return to the program.
Daniels is the third Trojans quarterback to enter the transfer portal within the past year. Matt Fink entered the portal last spring and flirted with Illinois before opting to return to the team. After he was buried on the depth chart last August, Jack Sears entered the transfer portal and graduated from the university. He is still in the process of choosing his destination.
Head coach Clay Helton has had some positive experiences retaining players who initially entered the transfer portal. He kept Fink last year and was rewarded when Fink was called upon to lead a big win over Utah. Velus Jones entered last year before returning, then left for Tennessee this offseason as a grad transfer. Starting nickelback Greg Johnson entered the portal last spring as well, only to return.
Freshman receiver Bru McCoy left through the portal in January 2019 and returned through it last June.
But the portal was never supposed to be in the cards for Daniels — not this soon. He is arguably the most accomplished quarterback in California high school history. Daniels threw for more than 12,000 yards and 152 touchdowns in three seasons at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), leading the Monarchs to state and national titles back in 2017.
He graduated high school in three years, replaced Sam Darnold and was supposed to extend USC’s line of great quarterbacks. On “The Rich Eisen Show” two years ago, former NFL quarterback and private QB coach
Jordan Palmer said if Daniels won the job as a freshman, “I don’t think there’s a ton of drop off at the quarterback position at SC this year.”
Daniels had never really failed as a football player before he got to USC, and although he did win that job, that victory only brightened the spotlight as he endured a disappointing freshman season. He played while constantly under duress behind a subpar offensive line and was stuck in an ineffective scheme that looked disoriented and stagnant. The resulting stat line wasn’t great. Daniels completed less than 60 percent of his passes, throwing 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and the Trojans finished 5-7, their first losing season since 2000.
Things were supposed to be better in 2019, though. Harrell was hired to install a QB-friendly Air Raid offense that would unlock the potential of Daniels and USC’s talented group of receivers. Helton held another quarterback competition. Slovis was involved in this one, but the outcome remained the same: Daniels was named the starter two weeks before the opener.
He had better coaching, a better offense, a better offensive line and an opportunity to show 2018 wasn’t a true representation of who he was as a player. He got off to a pretty efficient start against Fresno State, mostly taking what the defense gave him, and he finished 25 of 34 with 215 yards, one touchdown and an interception before he suffered that injury.
Of course, that opened the door for Slovis, and the rest is history. The fact Daniels has entered the transfer portal isn’t much of a surprise. The timing of it certainly is.
His father, Steve,
told 247Sports in December that JT was committed to the program and ready to compete for the job. Daniels, who is still recovering from his injury, wasn’t going to be able to practice this spring but was expected to compete for the job in training camp, whenever that may be.
If he does leave, USC is left with two scholarship quarterbacks: Slovis and Fink. Mo Hasan, who started a game at Vanderbilt last season,
will join the program as a transfer in May, which should help the Trojans’ depth at the position.
It’s an unbelievable outcome to have conceived two years ago at this time. But as that night last August gets further and further away, it’s clear that it will likely go down as the final time Daniels was the leader of USC’s offense.
