Mature. Humble. Authentic. Self-aware. Confident
These 5 qualities are ones that all human beings walking the planet should have the goal of possessing and displaying. For quarterbacks of Power 5 programs that want a legitimate chance of winning a College Football Playoff National Championship, the aforementioned traits are even more crucial. JT Daniels put together, in my opinion, what was nothing short of a virtuoso performance in front of the Georgia football beat on Tuesday. Daniels personified those 5 traits.
Beat writers that follow Georgia football can very be calculated in the questioning of players and coaches. Oftentimes, as should be the case, because of the nature of the job and the responsibility to the reader base, media members are wording questions in ways that they know will elicit a response from the person answering that will drive clicks and create an attention-grabbing headline. Well, JT Daniels wasn’t having to. No sir, no ma’am, the Dawgs QB1 was extremely thoughtful and calculated in this own right in his answers. However, as well-formulated as Daniels’ answers were to questions on leadership, injuries, in-team relationships, and personal growth as a player, there also was no hesitation. The redshirt junior quarterback answered immediately and with conviction. As I stated before, Daniels was authentic. You could tell he believed what he was saying and is unapologetic for anything that comes across as too blunt.
Daniels showed that he was grateful for the opportunity and the platform set before him, ones that he has earned. However, other than the realization that football is precious and opportunities are limited, that’s where the humility end and the confidence began to take over. Daniels made it clear that even sans Georgia Pickens, the receiving core is chocked full of talent. The 2021 Georgia Bulldogs have everything they need to win the first National Championship since 1980.
Overall the maturity level, the self-awareness, and the depth of thought were impressive to me. So many college teams do not have a quarterback with this coveted bundle of intangibles. Daniels had a presence about him that he himself indicated is being implemented and asserted more in on-field situations. Georgia fans already knew that the talent and the ability to lift the play of those around him between the stripes were there. If this first media availability not associated with a game is any indication of the impact that Daniels can have on the locker room and in the facilities, there could certainly be something special upcoming this season. Which, by the way, a CFP National Championship is the standard, and that is something that JT Daniels has embraced and effectively articulates how he’ll try to meet that set standard.
In old pro wrestling guys, the promos were everything. Performers like Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair would talk to people in the building hosting the show in the next town. In Tuesday’s press conference JT Daniels was impressive! Daniels may have talked more people into believing that Georgia has the right signal-caller at the right time to end the drought and bring a championship to Athens. I know that I certainly believe more in JT Daniels and his championship demeanor and mindset than I did before yesterday, despite great on-the-field numbers in the final 4 games. It takes a mix of all 5 traits listed at the beginning, plus talent and execution, to help put a team in a position to win it all in the FBS over the hump.