ATHENS — Georgia quarterback JT Daniels is expected to enter the transfer portal after meeting with Kirby Smart, but he may remain enrolled at UGA until he graduates this spring.
Daniels looks to be the first domino to fall — but likely not the last — in the Bulldogs’ annual quarterback room shuffle.
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It has been a tumultuous position group throughout Smart’s six-year tenure, though attrition was a given this offseason.
Georgia finished the national championship campaign with four scholarship quarterbacks on its roster that have remaining eligibility, in addition to signee Gunner Stockton.
Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on who will turn 25 this season according to his father, is next on the watch list.
Bennett’s future with the program remains uncertain following his remarks the morning after he quarterbacked the Bulldogs in the 33-18 win over Alabama in the CFP Championship Game.
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Bennett did not speak at the CFP Championship celebration on Sunday, but that might have been because he was not one of the Bulldogs’ team captains this season, as Jamaree Salyer and Jordan Davis made presentations.
Team leader
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Daniels was the Bulldogs’ unquestioned offensive leader at this time a year ago.
Daniels led Georgia to four consecutive wins to close the 2020 campaign after missing the first six games of the season on account of the knee injury he arrived with from USC the previous spring.
Daniels had the highest quarterback rating over those four games among the country’s returning quarterbacks.
WATCH: Legendary high school coach explains why JT Daniels grinds, will star at UGA
Smart championed Daniels as the leader of the quarterbacks’ room throughout the offseason, saying he raised the bar for everyone.
“I think (Todd) Monken’s system and JT match up well because it gives him the freedom to do some things at the line, which is his strength,” Smart said at the start of the spring drills. “His mobility has improved this offseason. He’s been able to move around, conditioning himself with the knee. So we’re excited to see where it goes.”
RELATED: Teammates talk up JT Daniels, team captain says ‘he’s like Google’
Monken was just as excited after Daniels organized a spring break trip for him and some Georgia receivers to work out in Southern California last May.
“You’re gathering guys to watch film, gathering guys to go out to California,” Monken said. “You don’t do that when you’re one of five (QBs in the room) ….. that’s just evolved over time with his position with the team.”
RELATED: 3 takeaways from JT Daniels trip to California with teammates
Daniels underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee before spring drills, leading him to improve his mechanics and mobility after the 2021 season, but the upper-body injuries prevented him from showcasing his running ability this season.
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