Beating Clemson is 'very important' to JT Daniels, but how is less so
JT Daniels understands his role in Georgia's offense.
He touches the ball on every single play. As the quarterback, he knows it's his responsibility to direct the offense and get the ball to Georgia's playmakers.
"I'm okay with the ball in my hands, but like, James Cook is really good with the ball in his hands, George Pickens is really good with the ball in his hands," Daniels said in his time on the main stage at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. "We have a lot of players that, when they have the ball in the right situation, do a lot of really good things."
Looking at a full offseason as the unquestioned leader of Georgia's offense, Daniels is preparing to be the facilitator for a group that needs to take a big step forward in 2021.
The Bulldogs' passing attack in particular improved dramatically once Daniels took over in 2020. In the final four games, Daniels completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Those numbers came in Daniels' first year at Georgia after transferring from USC. He also had to rehab from a torn ACL he suffered with the Trojans in 2019 while learning a new offense over Zoom, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rest of the Bulldogs also had to educate themselves on the system of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken last season. From the first time they spoke last year, Daniels and Monken hit it off.
"We see the game the same way, which is hugely important between your offensive coordinator and your quarterback," Daniels said. "It's a relationship building that's arguably one of the most important. I think he's a really good guy; he genuinely cares about the kids. It's hard to knock Monken on anything really. We've always had a good connection."
Daniels and Monken have been able to build on that relationship this offseason, this time in person. The bond that's so vital between the quarterback and the offensive coordinator has continued to grow.
"Whoever your starting quarterback is, he has to have direct communication," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "You treat a quarterback differently at times. You give him lines of communication to tell you things he likes and doesn't like, and they have it. Todd does a great job speaking with JT, and JT understands what he likes to do."
Georgia's receivers have also been a focal point for Daniels this offseason. He's spent plenty of time building chemistry with the group, even flying several Bulldog pass-catchers to California to show them around and practice.
Even with the loss of receiver George Pickens with a torn ACL, the depth of Georgia's receiver corps sticks out for the signal-caller.
"We’ve just got a lot of guys that can play ball at the moment," Daniels said. "There are so many guys that you can put in and don’t think twice. There’s a really high number of guys that you don’t normally see, just the sheer number of guys that could be in the game."
With pass-catching talents such as Jermaine Burton, Dominick Blaylock, Kearis Jackson, Arik Gilbert, and Darnell Washington, along with James Cook out of the backfield, Daniels has plenty of options to choose from.
He knows for the Bulldogs to be successful on offense, it'll come down to him to get the ball from his hands to the Georgia playmakers. That starts on Sept. 4 in the much-anticipated season opener against Clemson.
"Winning against Clemson is very important, honestly. The way that happens does not matter to me," Daniels said. "If I have to hand the ball off every single play, I have no problems with that. If I have to throw it every single play, I have no problems with that. I wouldn’t say there’s something where I have to go out and drop 20 dimes. It’s whatever we decide is the best way to win."
