Georgia quarterback JT Daniels inks NIL deal with Zaxby's

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback J.T. Daniels has inked a NIL deal with Zaxby’s, a Georgia-based chain restaurant popular in the Southeast. He becomes the first college athlete to partner with Zaxby’s.

NIL deal with Zaxby’s a no-brainer for Daniels

Georgia’s starting quarterback said that he is a big fan of the food at Zaxby’s and that is has been a go-to for him.

“Zaxby’s has been my choice of food since coming down here to Georgia,” Daniels said. “I mean, there really is no comparison. I get asked all the time what my favorite food is. It is Zaxby’s. Hands down. To me, Zaxby’s provides something I already enjoy, plus I can share it with my teammates and bring meals to ESP, an organization we both have already supported. This is the type of brand partner I am excited to have.”

For Zaxby’s, the opportunity to bring on a star athlete from a home state university was a no-brainer.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Heisman hopeful quarterback J.T. Daniels form the University of Georgia for the upcoming season,” Zazby’s CMO Joel Bulger said. “His leadership qualities on and off the field are remarkable and something that aligns well with our brand. We welcome J.T. to Team Zaxby’s, a brand that has strong ties with UGA and deep roots here in Athens.”

After ACL injury early in career, Daniels has found a home in Georgia

Daniels started his career at USC, where he threw for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018. He suffered a torn ACL early in the 2019 season, and transferred to Georgia when the season concluded.

After continuing his rehab on his knee to start last season, Daniels started Georgia’s final four games. In those four games, Daniels impressed, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Daniels threw for 392 yards in Georgia’s 24-21 Peach Bowl victory over Cincinnati to end the season.

Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken said last week that Daniels is responding well to being the starter entering the season.

“He is just very comfortable with the offense and his ability to change things at the line of scrimmage and be able to do things as a player that is controlled, which he likes to be involved in,” Monken said. “He just has a greater command, which is normal. I mean it is normal that he came in and had an injury and we were repping a lot of guys and he didn’t play till the end.”

Georgia is ranked fifth in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, receiving three first-place votes.