MORGANTOWN — WVU’s week-1 starting quarterback will be searching for his fourth school in five years as JT Daniels will reportedly enter the transfer portal after one season in Morgantown. Pete Thamel of ESPN first reported the news Tuesday morning.
Daniels started the first 10 games of the season for the Mountaineers before being replaced by sophomore Garrett Greene at halftime against Oklahoma. Greene started the final two games of the season and Daniels did not see the field again. Even when Greene was injured in the team’s season-finale against Oklahoma State, freshman Nicco Marchiol replaced him.
By coming to WVU, Daniels reunited with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, also Daniels’ OC while at USC. Following Daniels’ benching against the Sooners, Harrell said he handled it the right way and was a great teammate.
“The great thing about JT is, he was an incredible teammate last week,” Harrell said during the final week of the season. “His comment on the situation was, ‘during the season it’s all about the team and what gives us the best chance to win.’ You’ve got to respect that about him. He had great energy on the sideline, practiced the right way and really did a great job of being a great teammate.”
At WVU, Daniels completed 200-of-327 passes (61.2%) for 2,107 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. WVU had a 3-6 record in games he started and finished.
Daniels’ best statistical game came in a week-two loss against Kansas when he threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns. It was his only three-touchdown game as a Mountaineer and only one of three games he threw for multiple touchdowns.
Daniels, a former 5-star recruit out of Irvine, Calif., began his college career at USC in 2018, where he started 11 games as a freshman. He missed the entire 2019 season with an injury and then transferred to Georgia ahead of 2020, where he started the final four games for the Bulldogs. He started and won the first seven games of the 2021 season but again suffered a season-ending injury and was supplanted as the starter.
This will be Daniels’ third transfer in four years. He will have one year of eligibility remaining but will reportedly apply for a medical redshirt for the 2019 season to try and get a second year.
WVU has now lost two quarterbacks since the transfer portal opened this week and four players overall.
On Monday, redshirt-freshman Will “Goose” Crowder announced he had entered the portal. Crowder, an Alabama native, appeared in three games across two seasons at WVU, completing all eight of his pass attempts for 85 yards and a touchdown.
WVU’s quarterback room now includes Greene, Marchiol and walk-ons Jackson Crist, Jake Robbins and Scott Kean. Three-star prospect Sean Boyle from Charlotte, NC is verbally committed to WVU and could sign with the team as early as Dec. 21.
Other players to transfer this week are receiver Reese Smith and running back Markquan Rucker.
Smith, a sophomore from head coach Neal Brown’s hometown of Danville, Ky., caught 42 passes in three seasons for 457 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This was his most-productive season yet, making 19 receptions for 205 yards and a score.
Rucker, an in-state product from Tyler Consolidated, had seen sparse use in three seasons since joining the team as a walk-on in 2020.
The current transfer portal window is scheduled to stay open for 45 days, closing on Jan. 18. A second 15-day window will open at the beginning of May.
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