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QB Daniels named West Virginia starter

Daniels has been named the starting QB for the West Virginia Mountaineers football program.
Daniels has been named the starting QB for the West Virginia Mountaineers football program.

West Virginia has tabbed JT Daniels as the starting quarterback.

The decision isn’t a surprise considering that the Mountaineers added the Georgia transfer to the roster in May after watching the other three signal callers compete for the post in the spring.

Daniels selected the Mountaineers over fellow finalists Missouri and Oregon State with the comfort level with both the school and the roster at the forefront of that choice.

The job wasn’t just going to be handed to him, but Daniels earned the starting nod after a productive fall camp that saw him grow not only in the offense but with his timing.

Daniels brings a veteran presence to the room that was previously missing. The fourth-year quarterback has thrown for 4,840 yards with 32 touchdowns and 16 interceptions across his time at both Georgia and USC. He completed 65-percent of his passes and brings a different element to the Mountaineers in both experience and on the field production.

The California native has experience in the offensive scheme after spending an off-season with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell back when the pair were at Southern California.

“He had a big part of it. I know him. I trust him. I think he’s a great coach and schemer,” he said. “I think he’s really underrated as a schemer. I love the offense and I love what he does with it.”

The former five-star prospect is an intelligent quarterback that has gotten comfortable during the past few months in Morgantown and is now slotted to serve as the starting option.

The only knock on the portfolio of Daniels is the fact that he has battled injuries during his career such as a torn ACL at USC and various ailments at Georgia that sidelined him over his two seasons there. That isn’t lost on him and his health has been a major focus.

“That’s the biggest. It’s an old saying but availability is your best ability and I’ve missed 20 games over the last three years from injury,” he said. “If I stay healthy is very important to me.”

WVSports.com will have more on this decision in the near future.

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