A tale of two quarterbacks

Good morning. We are three days away from SEC Media Days.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett should be one of the biggest attractions among players at the four-day event next week in Atlanta.

Just how we all saw it coming a year ago, right?

JT Daniels, who brings a very different personality and pedigree to the position, made the rounds last July before what was expected to be a big season for him.

He missed time due to injuries—the oblique and lat—and then remained on the sidelines because the Bulldogs were winning with the former walk-on Bennett at QB.

Daniels left Georgia with a bachelor's degree in psychology in May and transferred to West Virginia where he’s reunited with coordinator Graham Harrell who was OC at Southern Cal in 2019 when Daniels was lost for the season in game 1 with a torn ACL.

Daniels didn’t make the trip to Jerry World in Arlington, Texas, for Big 12 Media Days this week but coach Neal Brown spoke to reporters plenty about him on Wednesday away from the big podium.

“J.T. has come in and been really humble in his approach,” Brown told Heartland College Sports. “He knows he’s got to win the competition. There’s nothing promised to him on the way in, but he’s done a great job connecting with our players. He’s done a great job getting his body where it needs to be. He’s in really good shape. He’s really confident. The key for him is to stay healthy.”

Daniels, who went 7-0 as a starter at Georgia, is the favorite to beat out redshirt freshman Will Crowder, sophomore Garrett Greene and true freshman Nicco Marchiol.

Daniels threw for 1,953 yards with 17 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while completing 69.5 percent off his passes in 10 games at Georgia the last two seasons.

“He’s played a lot,” Brown said. “He’s gone into different situations. He had to do the same thing when he transferred in from Southern Cal into Georgia. He knows how to go into a locker room. What I really appreciate about him is, he hasn’t gone into the locker room and said, ‘I’m J.T. Daniels, I’m here.’ No, he’s come in with a really humble work ethic. He’s been one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. He’s put in the necessary work. He’s been a great mentor to some of those young guys, not only in the quarterback room but also on our offensive side of the ball. He’s extremely hungry.”

Georgia fans can watch Daniels—assuming he wins the job—two days before Georgia opens in Atlanta against Oregon.

West Virginia is playing at Pittsburgh in a Thursday night game on ESPN on Sept. 1.

Follow me on Twitter @marcweiszer and email me at mweiszer@onlineathens.com

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: A tale of two quarterbacks