Morgantown, West Virginia – The West Virginia Mountaineers went from a team that would have been near the bottom of the Big 12 to a team that is now in the conversation as being a contender to win the conference.
That’s what landing a five star quarterback can do. JT Daniels is perhaps the best experienced quarterback in the Big 12 and having a great quarterback can make all the difference.
Daniels is the highest rated quarterback in West Virginia history…by far. According to 247 Sports, Daniels had a 0.9919 rating and was the #2 player out of California and the 16th best recruit in the entire nation out of high school. He was also listed as the 342nd best recruit ever.
Rivals also listed him as a five star prospect and the 4th best player in the entire 2018 recruiting class. His 6.1 Rivals Rating means he was “one of the elite prospects in the country, generally among the nation’s top 30-35 players overall, a potential first-team All American candidate and a player deemed to have first round NFL potential.”
If he didn’t suffer setbacks from injuries, he’d likely be a starting quarterback in the NFL right now. It can’t be overstated enough how important this level of player is to a team.
West Virginia was a competent, average quarterback away from winning 9 games last season. The Mountaineers of course finished the season at 6-7 with the incompetent, below-average Jarret Doege.
If Daniels can remain healthy, the sky is the limit for the Mountaineers this season! Daniels gives West Virginia a swagger and confidence that they haven’t had behind center since Neal Brown has been in Morgantown. Austin Kendall and Jarret Doege were average, mid-tier quarterbacks who almost never won their team games and often lost games with critical mistakes, turnovers and overall lack of talent.
It’s a new era in Morgantown and although JT Daniels is only one player, his presence alone makes the Mountaineers instant contenders in the Big 12 Conference.
