The decision to add JT Daniels to the roster back in May is certainly looking smart right now. Daniels started 12 games for USC in 2018 and 2019. He hasn’t yet been fully cleared after sustaining a torn ACL and other knee damage in the season opener against Fresno State in the 2019 season opener, but that’s expected to come before the start of the 2020 season. It hasn’t affected his ability to prepare thus far because he’s waiting on clearance for contact and the Bulldogs, like every other program in the country, don’t hit the quarterback in practice.
Conventional wisdom places him as the No. 1 with over three weeks of preseason practice left, but it may not be a given. Dawgs247’s Rusty Mansell reported recently that redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis got off to a strong start in preseason camp and turned some heads right away. In talks with sources after the Newman news broke on Wednesday, other contacts have indicated the same. The UGA staff is very excited about his potential. He has some physical attributes that you just can’t teach.
Daniels is still not fully cleared for contact as he continues to rehabilitate from the torn ACL he suffered at USC almost exactly a year ago. If the Bulldogs training staff gives him the all-clear at some point this month, though, he will presumably take the first snap of the 2020 season for Georgia when the Bulldogs play at Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 26. It’s a remarkable twist of fate for Daniels and Georgia, and it could have an impact on the wider college football landscape, depending on which version of Daniels shows up under center for the Bulldogs.
If it’s a hobbled version who’s not adequately acquainted with a new offensive system, then you can go ahead and crown Florida as the SEC East champion. But if the Bulldogs get a healthy version of Daniels, their ceiling is arguably just as high or even higher than it would have been with Newman, and an SEC title and College Football Playoff berth will be within Georgia’s grasp…
You can see why the knee-jerk reaction is to immediately crown Florida as the new division champion. But it all comes down to Daniels, his health and his grasp of what Monken wants to do.
All just a reminder that Smart restocked the cabinet in the quarterback room after last season. I don’t know how things will turn out, but at the moment nobody can say Georgia is out of working options.
Get The Picture 
So was Fields just “hangin” or being recruited again?
No way that was coincidence, you’ve met Coach Smart, right?
Or Father Fields was leveraging negotiations with ohio state univ?
Maybe that booster was an osu booster pretending to be a uga booster?
If JF come back, Coach Smart shall be annointed goat.
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Never say never, but the NCAA is slow as Christmas and the opener three weeks away. I’m saying never. I can’t recall anyone receiving clearance once the season started season. Thinking about it, did that one lineman a few years back (his name escapes me at this hour) who took a PED in high school and couldn’t get clear for years finally get clearance mid-season?
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You can’t learn an offense and new teammates in 3 weeks.
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Justin fields forgot how to run and throw? You fold him in and after a couple of weeks he would know enough. I mean I think this is all just a mental masturbation deal, but if we’re gonna go down that road…
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Of course not, but there is terminology, timing, etc.
I agree that he’d be fine in a few weeks, but with Bama and Auburn so early, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.
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RPO and read option to death.
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That is a good point actually. I don’t hate it.
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Just hit me. It worked for Colin kaepernick for a year at San Francisco. Then it turned out that’s pretty much all he could do
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Especially a dummy who can’t learn an Offense like the Heisman finalist and playoff QB
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They cleared Cam Newton in a day in 2010.
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Let’s get real here…..the next football team that Justin Fields plays for is in the NFL.
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What would his argument for immediate playing time be?
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Couldn’t figure out what a buckeye was, where to find one plus the osu mascot made him feel uncomfortable at night, which in it’s self affected his health and mental safety….transport portal here he comes…
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😂
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BIG Tweleven ain’t playin’ could be his reason.
I don’t think it will happen though.
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He’s clearly not in Columbus. He’s probably home in Kennesaw and bored so he rode over for the day.
Let’s all move on.
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Thats exactly what I said yesterday. Hes a Georgia boy that loves Georgia that went to Georgia. And he has friends at Georgia. Just think how many of us would just go sit at practice if we could. I doubt Kirby even thought about it for half a second.
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And, his sister still attends UGA as a softball player. She has been able to endure the toxic environment. 😉
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Respectfully, Fields isn’t coming back to Georgia. He either plays with the Buckeyes this year or begins prep for the NFL. It makes no sense to go through another season after this one. He is projected as a Top 10 draft choice ‘right now’. This season was about the Heisman, a National Championship and improving his draft stock to 1 or 2. That’s it.
With that said, I believe that Georgia’s QB room is in a lot better shape than it was a year ago. Was Fromm better than Daniels this time last year than Daniels this time this year? Yes. But Fromm was handcuffed with the offense he was asked to guide and he went right back into the habit of living off of outside and back shoulder throws. This took away 1/2 the field. Add that to an offense with no imagination, and young receivers – you struggle. Would it be better with both QB’S? Of course. But Georgia’s QB Room even with the loss is still more talented than anyone else’s in the East and just as talented as LSU or Bama’s (ok – Bama has an edge) and with a 5 Star committed and actively recruiting for next year.
Georgia’s offense will be much more difficult to defend, with a coordinator who is willing to use the weapons that Georgia offers, which happens to be very talented backs and very talented receivers and a tight end who can catch and make the most with YAC.
Georgia will be fine. Regarding the Gators. I really hope that all the talk goes back to picking UF. I think it just adds that much more focus to the players and coaches, during a time when it is difficult to do so because of Covid 19.
Georgia is well positioned to win the East (again) and the SEC and have a shot at the title.
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This is wonderful. Thank you.
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I have a tremendous amount of respect for D’Wan Mathis and his family. We’ve all pulled for him to regain his health, and now I’m pulling for him to have a strong potential backup roll, maybe even starting. This kid didn’t give up or quit even as the deck of all these higher rated QBs started to stack up…apparently ahead of him. His family (dad) and he as an athlete has really kept their focus and done all the right things. Toss in Beck and the mailman, and we’re not in full blown chicken little mode….yet.
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In all this talk about getting paid and so on and so forth Mathis really is the epitome of a student athlete and why we love college football
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Unless one creates major separation soon, my guess is that Daniels and Mathis will both see the field a lot. I like the idea of opposing defenses having to scheme for both every week. Fromm was better when teams had to allocate prep time to Fields too.
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The games are so incredibly long. I think giving a quarterback just some relief to take a breath and get back in the zone is huge
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2017, anybody? A totally green Jake Fromm?
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Kenny and Zeus v Nick and Sony? I hope so. RTDB.
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So just checking in this morning….did I miss anything?
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Nah, same old same old… COVID and NIL rights, that’s all. 😉
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I heard that before Newman left he wasn’t clear cut better option that Daniels for this offense .
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Kirby would straight out tell you there are no starters right now. Its way early.
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Yeah, but Legge says Daniels possibly started last Saturday actually. There were many rumors about Newman possibly not getting it done. There was a reason Daniels came here vs other top programs where he would have been guaranteed to start. Sometimes smoke really does indicate fire.
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Well, that’s certainly definitive.
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Sounds like Georgia fans be in Georgia fans to me
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