Aaron Murray Shares His "Expectations" and "Concerns" for Georgia Bulldogs QB JT Daniels
Not a subscriber? Quit reading the headlines, and get real insider scoop - $1 for 1 Month.
ATHENS - Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray is expecting big things from Georgia Bulldogs QB JT Daniels going into the 2021 season.
“My expectations for JT Daniels are pretty high honestly,” Murray told Dawg Post about the Bulldogs’ starter.
Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs kick the season off in Charlotte against the Clemson Tigers. The game gives Daniels and the Bulldogs a great opportunity to start the season with a bang. And Murray, who is an ambassador for Allstate’s AFCA Good Works Team, said while he has lofty expectations for Daniels, there are some things to watch heading into the season.
“The thing that concerns me about last year is the strength of schedule. JT took over against Mississippi State; then South Carolina. The best team UGA played was Cincinnati, and that wasn’t his best performance,” Murray, who is the SEC’s career leader in touchdown passes thrown, said bluntly.
Georgia won its final four games of the season on the way to a fourth top-ten finish, and its third win in a New Year’s Six bowl game in a four-year period. Daniels ended the four-game run with 1,231 yards, ten touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bulldogs struggled to throw the ball in the two games before Daniels took over - gaining only 131 yards against Kentucky and 112 against the Gators. Murray said that the switch to Daniels jumpstarted production, and in a short amount of time.
“I think overall there is no doubt that it was a huge upgrade. What JT was able to do with limited reps - he was the freaking scout team quarterback,” Murray said. “He really didn’t have the ability to work with the first team offense at all until the end of the season. His ability to go out there and execute was really amazing to me.”
Daniels exploded for 401 yards passing and four touchdowns against Mississippi State and never looked back.
“JT told me yesterday: ‘I have always had to compete for the starting job. When I got to USC I was competing. Last year I was competing, and there were like four dudes. This is the first year where I am the guy. I am getting all of the reps with the ones. In the spring and summer I am the leader. It feels good.’ And it should feel good,” Murray said of his conversation with Daniels the Monday of SEC Media Days. “When you are getting all of the reps with the ones you are going to be ready to go and feel more prepared when the season comes.”
Murray, who started at UGA from 2010-13 said that Daniels’ position as the starter for the 2021 season coming into the season allows Todd Monken’s side of the ball to have the capability to put up a lot of points in 2021.
“There is just a lot more confidence about Monken. As a whole JT brings a confidence to the offense. For me the expectations are high, as it should be,” Murray said. “There is talent around him. There is no doubt in my mind that this offense should be a lot more explosive and should look a lot different. With Monken taking control of this offense now I think they are going to open up a lot more and give JT the keys to the car.”
*DawgPost.com has teamed up with Fanatics to connect our readers with the best selection of officially licensed UGA fan gear out there. If you purchase through our links, we will earn a commission that will support the work we do on this site.