ESPN released their list of the 25 most important players in the College Football Playoff chase, ranking Georgia quarterbacks J.T. Daniels and D’Wan Mathis at No. 1.
Mathis was originally committed to Ohio State before he flipped his commitment to Georgia following Justin Fields’ decision to transfer to the Buckeyes in 2018. Mathis was informed in 2019 that he had a cyst on his brain that required serious surgery. This medical issue threatened Mathis’ football career, with doctors telling him he might never step on a field and play football again.
Now, the redshirt freshman Mathis will defy the odds, starting under center in his first collegiate game this Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman announced on September 2nd that he was opting out of the 2020 college football season, due to COVID-19 concerns, and will focus on the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. That decision left Georgia’s quarterback position wide open for the taking.
Many thought USC transfer J.T. Daniels would get the nod, but Daniels is still not fully cleared for contact from his ACL tear he suffered a season ago. The 6-foot-5, 205 pound Mathis has been listed as Georgia’s starter going into Week One, following some very solid weeks impressing head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken at training camp.
Mathis will have a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Zamir White and James Cook headline the Georgia backfield, giving Mathis some great options in the run game and short passing game. Mathis will also have his deep target in sophomore wide receiver George Pickens, who led the team in all receiving categories his freshman year.
From almost having his football career ended to being named the starting quarterback of the Georgia Bulldogs, Mathis is an amazing sports story that the entirety of the college football world will be watching this Saturday.
Here’s what ESPN’s Bill Connelly had to say about Mathis and his impact on this year’s College Football Playoff chase:
A new starting QB who has the potential to wreck his opponents’ title dreams and fulfill his own frustrated program’s ambitions? Sounds like the most important player in college football to me.
1. QB JT Daniels or D’Wan Mathis, Georgia: Daniels was No. 8 on this list last year, when it looked like he was getting tasked with saving Clay Helton’s job at USC. He got hurt in the first game, however, and lost his job to sudden star Kedon Slovis. Now at Georgia, Daniels could be the guy to push the Dawgs out of last year’s “all-world defense, terribly limited offense” imbalance. But first he has to be cleared for competition.
His ongoing recovery from injury has opened the door for Mathis, who spent 2019 on the sideline after having a cyst removed from his brain. Mathis has apparently impressed head coach Kirby Smart and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
It doesn’t really matter who ends up starting here; it only matters that whoever it is thrives. Georgia will start 2020 with the most proven defense in college football, and while the offense could use another top skill-corps player, it still has a couple of proven linemen in receiver George Pickens, running backs Zamir White and James Cook and a new batch of blue-chippers. With great quarterback play, the Dawgs go from SEC East co-favorites to, potentially, national title co-favorites. Sounds like the QB of choice is the most important player in the country to me.
