Kirby Smart breaks down JT Daniels' performance in Saturday scrimmage

Kirby Smart broke down JT Daniels’ performance following a Georgia Bulldogs scrimmage on Saturday. While Smart believes Daniels could’ve been better, he also praised the quarterback’s leadership and command.

“I’d have to watch it to really see that. He’s not playing with a full deck, if you follow what I’m saying. He doesn’t have all the weapons out there. Fitz was actually out too, Fitz has got a foot sprain. So we didn’t have our full arsenal there,” said Smart, per DawgNation on YouTube. “JT understands that. He understands that we’re going through the process of making good decisions.

“I’m really pleased where JT is in his leadership, and command of the offense. But I think he’d admit that he could have had a better day than he had today. And he knows that. And that’s not all on him. That’s on everybody, including me, and the offensive staff, and all the guys to keep improving. 

“That’s why we do this, we do this to find out where we are. And then we move from there.”

As Daniels enters his first season in Athens as the unquestioned starter, expectations for the Bulldogs have been set high. While other SEC teams like Alabama and Texas A&M undergo changes at important positions, Georgia is blessed with some continuity. 

Earlier in his college career, Daniels was thought to be one of the brightest quarterbacks in all of college football. This season, he’s looking to finally realize that potential to the fullest extent.

JT Daniels’ Growth

As Daniels has been the unquestioned starter of the Bulldogs, he’s had the opportunity to master the intricacies of offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s offense. Earlier this week, Kirby Smart’s assistant spoke about Daniels’ growth.

“It is different when you come into the season as a starter,” Monken said about Daniels, per SDS.com. “I think he is more comfortable with our players.

“The second part is that 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. 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. 

“As we keep evolving offensively, he really appears to be in control of what we want done.”

This season, Daniels is getting a lot of love for possible awards, as well as NFL Draft buzz. As for Georgia, the possibility of the Bulldogs winning the SEC is greater than many believe.

However, until the season begins, Kirby Smart and the rest of his staff will be focused on making sure JT Daniels is the best he can be.

Image courtesy of Todd Kirkland / Getty Images