Graham Harrell shares conversation with JT Daniels after being benched

For JT Daniels, West Virginia is his third school. It represents a chance to be the starter and finally live up to his potential after losing the starting job twice, at USC and Georgia. Things haven’t always come easy at West Virginia, though, leading Neal Brown, Graham Harrell, and the West Virginia coaching staff to decide to bench him against Kansas State.

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell met with the media, where he was asked about the conversations that he’s had with JT Daniels about being moved to the bench.

“I had conversations with him and you know the great thing about JT is he was an incredible teammate last week, I thought,” Graham Harrell said.

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“His kind of comment on the situation was, ‘Hey, during the season it’s all about the team and what gives us the best chance to win. If you want to run him [Garrett Greene] around, he probably gives you a better chance to win than I do,'” Graham Harrell explained.

“So, you got to respect that about him, and like I said, I think that last week he was an incredible teammate. Had great energy on the sideline, I think, and practiced the right way, and really did a great job being a great teammate.”

That’s high praise from Graham Harrell for how JT Daniels handled a difficult situation. If he wants to use it, Daniels still has another year of eligibility thanks to the new redshirt rule and the 2020 season not counting toward eligibility.

Garrett Greene will start West Virginia’s final game against Oklahoma State.

Decision on Neal Brown coming after the season

When athletic director Shane Lyons was fired, it seemed like a warning that head coach Neal Brown was also on the way out. However, school president Gordon Gee said the school would way until the season is over to make a decision on Brown.

“We are supporting Coach Neal Brown and our team as we complete our season over the next few weeks,” Gee said. “We are aware there are some deficiencies, but we have not given up on the coach and the team, and they have not given up on each other. The evaluation of the football program will be the first task of our new athletic director and no changes will be made until that review has been completed.”

The season ends on Saturday, meaning a decision is on its way for Neal Brown’s future.