Video: Ultimate High School Highlights of JT Daniels In three seasons at Mater Dei, Daniels threw for 12,014 yards and 152 touchdowns.
Less then a year after being named the MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year,
JT Daniels was named the starting quarterback for one of the nation's top college programs.
If not for a late decision to reclassify, Daniels would just be starting his senior year at 2017 national champion
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Instead, he opted to leave early for college and Sunday, USC football coach Clay Helton announced that Daniels had beat out a pair of more than worthy candidates — Jack Sears and Matt Fink — and will start Saturday's opener with UNLV.
He is the second true freshman to earn the starting spot right out of the gate. The other was another Mater Dei alum, Matt Barkley, in 2009.
"We had a very healthy quarterback competition this year with four incredible young men," Helton said in a statement. "All are tremendous people, teammates and football players. In the end, JT Daniels has earned the starting position and will be the starter against UNLV."
Said Daniels: "I am honored that Coach Helton picked me as the starter. I understand this is a huge responsibility and I need to work hard to be prepared to handle it.
Daniels was nearly perfect last season when Mater Dei (15-0) never trailed in a game en route to its first state championship and third mythical national crown.
He threw for 4,123 yards, 52 touchdowns and four interceptions and also became a running threat, rushing for 561 yards and nine touchdowns. In two previous years at Mater Dei, he rushed for negative four yards and four scores.
Helton's announcement comes on the heels of Mater Dei's shocking 42-0 win at Bishop Gorman on Friday, when Daniels' replacement
Bryce Young accounted for five touchdowns. He threw for 254 yards and four scores and added a spectacular 34-yard TD run to start the scoring.
Young, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior dual threat, has already committed to USC. Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart is another famed USC quarterback who attended Mater Dei.
JT Daniels while leading Mater Dei to a 52-21 win over De La Salle in the 2017 CIF State Open Division championship at Sacramento State.
File photo by Louis Lopez
