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There were only 29 days between JT Daniels’ his first college practice and college debut. He had been officially named the starting quarterback just six days prior. Had he not skipped his senior year of high school, his first day at USC would be next week.
“It was a whirlwind since I came in,” Daniels reflected this week on the Trojan Talk podcast. “The speed of everything comes and hits you pretty fast. [It] really took a couple months to adjust to.”
It stands to reason that he’s still adjusting. Daniels arrived as arguably USC’s most acclaimed high school quarterback over the past two decades, an era that includes a string of elite college passers and NFL starters, and Daniels, without even the benefit of spring practice, was the youngest of any to first step onto the field.
Everything happened fast for him last year. He set a school debut record with 282 passing yards in the season opener and dazzled in a comeback win against Washington State a few weeks later, which sandwiched two decisive road losses at Stanford and Texas that saw him take a pounding. His play over the rest of the season mirrored the team’s, with repeated second-half struggles ultimately costing the Trojans the lead in six of their seven defeats.
“I think there was a mindset of, OK, sweet, we’re winning. It’s probably going to be game over,” Daniels said. ”We’ll just milk the clock and get out of here. I would consider that a weaker mentality that we’ve really addressed this offseason, of just finishing -- finishing what we start.”
Daniels, the assumed starter though technically still competing for the role of QB1 as he enters his second training camp, has reshaped his body this offseason in hopes of being more durable and improving his mobility. He said he’s also being more assertive with his teammates on and off the field to help fill the leadership gap that has beset the Trojans in recent years.
“I’m a veteran now,” Daniels said. “When you know how it’s like in the fall, you know what you can do to prepare in the spring and summer.”
Check out the podcast for the entire interview, as Daniels sheds light on his offseason initiatives, a trying first season, playing under immense expectations, the transition to the Air Raid under new OC Graham Harrell, improved chemistry with the receiving corps and what he’s learned over the past 12 months.
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