West Virginia lands JT Daniels and what it means for Mountaineers

West Virginia football made a major addition to its team on Wednesday after adding JT Daniels from the transfer portal at quarterback. 

JT Daniels makes his decision on where he would like to take snaps this upcoming season. The former five-star told ESPN Wednesday morning he made the decision that he’s transferring to West Virginia.

Daniels has been the most notable player remaining in the NCAA transfer portal. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback has had stints at both USC and Georgia. He played for USC during the 2018 and 2019 seasons before transferring to Georgia.

“Going up and down the roster, I feel like they have very, very good pieces everywhere,” Daniels told ESPN in a phone interview. “It feels like a great fit for a quarterback. I feel like there’s a really, really, really good team that I’m going to step into and do my part to contribute.”

After contemplating between Missouri and Oregon State along with West Virginia, Daniels made the decision after enjoying his time in Morgantown.

“I loved it,” he said. “It feels very Athens-ish, which is a quintessential college town (and) which I have really, really enjoyed living in.”

What Daniels will bring to West Virginia football

When Daniels arrives on campus to join the team, he will be battling for the starting role against returning scholarship quarterbacks Garrett Greene and Will Crowder.

Although the two bring little experience to the table, they combined for a total of 175 passing yards last season. In addition to the returning quarterbacks, incoming freshman Nicco Marchiol is an ESPN 300 recruit in the Class of 2022.

Although it seems to be promising that Daniels will be a starter this upcoming season, he needs to prove that he can stay healthy.

“The No. 1 thing (that I need to prove) is that I can stay healthy,” Daniels said. “If there’s one thing I haven’t proven, it’s that. I’ve missed 35 games in three years.”

Over the past two seasons, West Virginia football has gone 6-7 and 6-4 under head coach Neal Brown, and there’s the potential for an experienced starter at quarterback to help the team turn around.

Daniels is in the midst of finishing his courses to graduate from Georgia and will be making his move to West Virginia as a graduate transfer. He made it a point that he thoroughly enjoyed his time in Athens and winning the national title this past season.

“I love Georgia and Georgia has always loved me since I’ve been here,” Daniels said. “It’s been a really, really good and supportive fan base. I’m very, very thankful. I had no problems adjusting. I wouldn’t even consider it an adjustment. Everyone here has been good and honest and good people.”

West Virginia will begin their 2022 season against Pittsburgh on Sept. 1.