BELLAIRE, Texas — JT Daniels knows why he agreed to an interview on a recent lazy Sunday morning at a cafe near his suburban Houston apartment. The former USC, Georgia, West Virginia, Rice quarterback might as well be the face of the transfer portal.
He has the unique experience of transferring three times and playing for four schools in a six-year career. Even in this age of unfettered free agency, that’s a lot.
That makes Daniels a portal unicorn. And a sage.
“A lot of people have reached out to me about transferring and the process,” Daniels said. “I’m the guy.”
From top high school prospect in 2018 to medically retiring nine games into his final season at Rice in 2023, there are few more qualified to speak about the modern machinations of player movement. At times, the 23-year-old took it a step further, analyzing the state of the game while munching on a light brunch.
“As much as I transferred, I never gave a shit about what people said about transfers,” Daniels said. “I don’t have social media apps, so I don’t hear the discourse. I’m not super familiar with why people take an issue with it.”
Nor does he need to be. Social media can ruin a modern college athlete. He didn’t abuse the system; Daniels took advantage of it — academically, athletically and philosophically.
Even if he doesn’t know it, Daniels remains a signpost for modern college football — a mile marker for what came before and what is still to come.
He was around the game for so long that the transfer portal actually came into existence during his freshman year at USC in 2018. The one-time transfer exception debuted while he was helping win a national championship at Georgia in 2021.
Twice Daniels has been a graduate transfer. Now, he is looking forward to diving into a coaching career starting at the entry level as a graduate assistant breaking down film and fetching coffee. Daniels certainly has enough contacts in his phone based on his travels, plus an estimated 15–25 players who have called him for transfer advice.
Before he moves on with his life, though, there is the not-so-small matter of what caused him to medically retire in November. Daniels suffered four concussions during his career, two of which he has termed “severe.”
“Someone could call me a bad name, and I’d get concussed,” he said of his lingering sensitivity.
It was all explained matter of factly. There is no…
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