Trojans Today: Friday morning roundup, more JT Daniels thoughts and poll

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**This is a new daily morning segment at TrojanSports.com, as a way to recap the previous day, set the stage for the day ahead, highlight the best of social media and the best of this board.**

This one is simple -- what is your level of concern over JT Daniels entering the NCAA transfer portal, likely leaving the program and thus leaving the Trojans with two scholarship quarterbacks plus Vanderbilt grad transfer Mo Hasan entering the 2020 season (if there is one)?

**Vote and track the live poll results here**

Before we move on, I'd like to address the big news of the week more at length.

There was a lot of varied reaction on the Trojan Talk message board yesterday in the wake of Daniels' transfer portal announcement, naturally, and my thoughts are on there as well, interspersed throughout, but let me put them together more cogently here.

Daniels' situation brings to mind the famous story of Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp -- or at least the mythologized version in that the established starter (he led the American League in home runs in 1916 and 1917) took a seat in place of Lou Gehrig in 1925 due to a headache and never got his job back as Gehrig went on to play in 2,130 consecutive games. (There are actually varied accounts as to why Pipp didn't play that day, but that's beside the point here.)

The metaphorical connection is that nobody knew when Daniels sustained a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter of the opener last fall that Kedon Slovis would step in and become one of the best stories of the season in college football -- the lightly-regarded 3-star QB turned prolific freshman passer already etching his name all over the program record books.

I've stated many times here that I believe if Daniels had remained healthy he too would have had a true breakout season in Graham Harrell's offense -- he was a natural fit for the system, and while many harp on his inconsistencies as a freshman his arm talent is obvious. But I can't say he would have had a better season than Slovis, who was simply sublime over the second half of that campaign. And so while the coaching staff promoted the concept of a competition this summer when Daniels would be fully medically cleared, there just never seemed any scenario other than Slovis being given the chance to build on what he established last year -- barring injury.

Daniels could have been dominant in fall camp, but could he conceivably have displayed such as a gap as to force the coaching staff to unseat a guy who averaged 346.25 passing yards in eight games after returning from a concussion (380.5 over the final six games) with 25 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in that span? No way.

Daniels and his family initially rebuffed transfer talk because a few months ago that didn't make sense. If he transferred after the season, he would have almost assuredly had to sit out a season per NCAA transfer rules before being eligible in 2021. If he stayed and focused on completing his undergraduate degree, he could have left as a grad transfer and been immediately eligible for the 2021 season all the same. And in between, he would have been able to see what happens this fall. Slovis was injured twice last season -- maybe Daniels would have gotten his chance and been able to assert his grip on the job again.

What changed was the potential for a one-time transfer exception with immediate eligibility that the NCAA is expected to vote on May 20. That's a new wrinkle, and if passed, it would allow Daniels to play somewhere else next season.

Here's where we get to the divided reactions on the message board. I actually agree with many of the general sentiments about the transfer situation in college football perhaps becoming too routine. I think there are valuable lessons to be gained from having things not go one's way, having to find the motivation to compete every day behind the scenes while waiting for the opportunity to play a major role on Saturdays. I just don't think that applies to this situation.

Daniels is a redshirt sophomore in 2020. Slovis is a true sophomore. If we operate on the premise that Slovis has seized the job and will likely only get better moving forward, what opportunity does that leave Daniels? To wait for his redshirt senior season and hope that Slovis leaves early for the NFL, giving him one year to showcase himself for his own football future? To wait for an injury?

This isn't a fourth receiver wanting to catch 60 passes and not willing to wait for that opportunity. Quarterback isn't a rotating position where a great month of practice leads to more snaps in games. If Slovis stays healthy and performs, there's a chance that opportunity never comes for Daniels ... or comes very late with everything riding on that one final season. What if Daniels waits until his redshirt senior season and then gets hurt again? Daniels has a limited window to prove he deserves a football future beyond college, and he made the sensible move for himself.

I can't imagine this was easy for him. Staying another year and completing a USC degree had to have been significantly tempting, but if this NCAA measure is passed, he has the opportunity to get a jump start on reclaiming the football trajectory he worked his whole life building. (And if the measure doesn't pass, both Daniels and USC have maintained the potential of him returning.)

It's not ideal for USC, which as noted, would be razor-thin at QB entering 2020 if Daniels leaves. But put yourself in his position and try to rationalize making any different decision.

While there are mounting questions/doubts about the viability of playing football games this fall, we operate here in more positive hypotheticals. Yesterday we asked, IF there is indeed a football season with fans in 2020, would you feel comfortable tailgating and/or going to games in a crowded or semi-crowded Coliseum?

The results were rather polarizing -- 17 voted for "business as usual, fire up the grill" while 15 voted "not going to risk it, I'll gladly watch from home." Only six voted for the middle ground option of "I'll go to the game if social distancing measures are in place, but I won't gather with a group to tailgate."

Ultimately, we're still dealing with unknowns and unpredictable variables -- there is no certain forecast of what this will all look like in four or five months (albeit many strong opinions.) More likely, the decision will be made for us at a higher level. Either it's going to be safe enough for fans to operate in semi-standard fashion, or it's not. And considering that local government and especially universities are going to err on the side of absolute caution with so many liabilities at stake, it would seem to reason that if that green light is given it will be because there is a belief that the risks have been thoroughly quelled, thus making it an easier decision for fans.

The middle ground of trying to implement social distancing at a sporting event is a logistical Rubik's cube when you factor in the variables of concessions, restrooms, people entering and leaving rows of seats, people arriving outside the venue, who gets to go to the games if attendance is limited, etc.

Thus, our question ultimately probably only applies if the country is back to normal and the green light is given for sports to return in the way we know them. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has already intimated he doesn't think that will happen in 2020, but again, those decisions are yet to be made.

If we get to the point of playing college football, there will still be people who apply their own extra caution moving forward, and that was really more the point of our hypothetical question.

-Perspective on USC QB JT Daniels' decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal

-USC remains a contender for 4-star 2021 QB Miller Moss

-Trojans Today: Thursday morning roundup with column on USC's 2021 recruiting potential

Four-star offensive guard Maximus Gibbs (St. John Bosco High School) is announcing his college decision at 5 p.m. PT Friday. USC fans will want to pay attention to this announcement.

Here's what Gibbs told us over the weekend about his Trojans recruitment.

Former Trojans standout Su'a Cravens shares his thoughts on the Daniels news ...

Some notable reaction from current Trojans ...

A Steph Curry pop-in at USC via Zoom ...

Upgrades coming for Galen Center ...