LOS ANGELES _ Heralded true freshman quarterback JT Daniels has won USC's quarterback competition and will start for the Trojans on Saturday against Nevada Las Vegas, USC coach Clay Helton announced Sunday night.
Daniels will be only the second USC true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback. The other was fellow Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei alum Matt Barkley, who got the nod in 2009 in the opener against San Jose State.
Daniels beat out redshirt sophomore Matt Fink and redshirt freshman Jack Sears for the job.
"In the end," Helton said in a statement, "JT Daniels has earned the starting position and will be the starter against UNLV. As you can imagine JT was excited when we let him know, but his uncanny maturity kept him focused on what is next.
"At the completion of camp, it became clear to me and our staff that JT had taken a step ahead of Matt, Jack and Holden (Thomas). I thought the quarterback competition was very competitive and fair and I am satisfied with how our staff handled the process. We look forward to each young man continuing to grow and progress at the position and we are very fortunate to have each one here at USC."
Since the moment Daniels _ the Gatorade national male athlete of the year _ announced that he was going to reclassify to the 2018 recruiting class and graduate a semester early, this news has felt like a foregone conclusion.
Daniels backed up his immense hype in fall camp, playing well beyond his years. In two scrimmages, Daniels completed 17 of 21 passes for four touchdowns.
"I am honored that Coach Helton picked me as the starter," Daniels said in a statement. "I understand that it is a huge responsibility, and I need to work hard to be prepared to handle it. It was a tight competition between all the quarterbacks throughout camp. We pushed each other every day. I felt that Coach's decision wouldn't be wrong whoever he picked. I am thankful to Matt and Jack and Holden for teaching me so much and helping me adjust to the system so that I could quickly get into the flow of things, and I know we will continue to be supportive teammates in the quarterback room."
