JT Daniels medically retires from football

Field Level Media|published: Sat 2nd December, 11:43 2023

Sep 2, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Rice Owls quarterback JT Daniels (18) looks to pass during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. credits: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Well-traveled college quarterback JT Daniels is retiring from football due to medical issues.

Daniels told ESPN he plans to enter the coaching profession.

Daniels played the 2023 season at Rice, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,443 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in nine games. Among the highlights of his Rice tenure was a 43-41 double-overtime win over Houston in September in the Bayou Bucket rivalry game.

His final college game was Nov. 4, a loss to SMU, in which he suffered a concussion. He missed the final three games of the regular season.

"I'm definitely excited to get into coaching, that's for sure," Daniels told ESPN in a phone interview. "I loved playing. I always knew one day I'd coach. I didn't think it would come this soon. But one day, I knew that's what I was going to be doing."

The former five-star recruit began his college career at Southern California, playing for the Trojans in 2018 and 2019. He spent 2020 and 2021 at Georgia, then played for West Virginia in 2022 before transferring to Rice.

"I was thrilled when JT decided to come to Rice this season," coach Mike Bloomgren said Friday. "There is no doubt we would not have the Bayou Bucket in our office or be preparing for a bowl game without his performance on the field or his leadership as a team captain. Knowing how much he loves the game, this was not an easy decision for JT to make, but nothing is more important than your health."

Daniels started the 2019 opener for USC but sustained a season-ending injury, tearing multiple ligaments in his right knee. He subsequently had two inconsistent seasons at Georgia, although he did post a 7-0 mark as a starter and was part of a national championship team.

With Stetson Bennett returning as Georgia's incumbent quarterback in 2022, Daniels moved on to West Virginia and made 10 starts for the Mountaineers.

During his lone season at West Virginia, Daniels produced a 61.2 percent completion rate, throwing for 2,107 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

In 40 career games between the four programs, Daniels threw for 9,390 yards with 66 TDs and 32 interceptions.

—Field Level Media