Freshman QB JT Daniels Earning Major Looks from Big-Time College Programs

Located in Santa Ana, California, Mater Dei High School has essentially served as a college quarterback factory for decades.

The Orange County powerhouse boasts a proud lineage of passers that includes Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart and John Huarte. Current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Barkley and former Hawaii starters Max Wittek and Colt Brennan also once led their own versions of an explosive Monarchs offensive attack.

Veteran head coach Bruce Rollinson appears to have uncovered another star behind center in freshman JT Daniels, who already claims scholarship offers from Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Notre Dame, UCLA and Washington.

The 6'1", 195-pound prospect remains three years away from enrolling on a college campus, but early reviews are resoundingly positive. Mater Dei teammate Tommy Brown, a sophomore rated No. 5 nationally among offensive tackles in the 2018 recruiting class in 247Sports rankings, sets the bar extremely high.

"I think he could become the best quarterback out of Mater Dei," Brown told Bleacher Report at The Opening's Los Angeles regional event, which he attended alongside Daniels.

The sample size of evaluation is small for the young quarterback, but expectations can't be much bigger at this stage of his high school career.

"He's definitely going to the NFL, in my opinion," his 6'7", 318-pound protector said.

Daniels decimated defenses during a 10-win season last fall, leading Mater Dei to the semifinal round of highly contentious Pac-5 Division playoffs. He collected 3,042 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air, according to MaxPreps, averaging more than 250 passing yards per game.

His freshman onslaught didn't start in such grand fashion.

Mater Dei lost starting quarterback Matt McDonald to an injury in the first half of the season's second game. Daniels, a varsity newcomer, suddenly stepped into the most important position for a perennial championship contender.

"I definitely had some nerves running," he recalled.

His first pass was a short screen toss. Daniels' second attempt was intercepted.

Despite the rough introduction to his new role, the youngster maintained composure with the help of teammates.

"When he came into that first game, you could see he had the nerves, but we sat him down after the first drive and told him we were going to protect him," Brown said. "JT handled it really well."

Daniels immediately put the turnover behind him, trusting in the preparation that preceded his high school debut.

"You know what, I made that pass a million times in practice. After that throw I was a lot calmer with the help of guys like Tommy and [2016 USC offensive tackle signee] Frank Martin. They all rallied around me," he said.

Daniels threw just three more interceptions on his next 311 throws. He erupted for 446 passing yards and five total touchdowns in his fourth start, a 49-35 victory over Orange Lutheran High School.

"He settled in fast and carried that all the way through. He's been a great leader," Brown said.

College interest quickly mounted, with Daniels' first scholarship offer arriving from Cal midway through October. By the time he arrived at his first Elite 11 competition Sunday, five more programs joined a pursuit that will stretch into 2019.

Notre Dame, Arizona State, Washington and UCLA extended offers during a three-day span in January. BYU presented his most recent collegiate opportunity two weeks ago.

Clearly on the fast track toward 5-star status and a high-profile recruitment, Daniels doesn't let these developments distract him from the tasks at hand.

"Honestly, I don't put much thought into being a recruit right now. My mindset at this point is all based on the football season coming up this fall," he said. "I'm very appreciative and honored for all the offers and interest, but my focus is on what we can do to prepare for this season."

Credit: 247Sports

Daniels capitalized on an opportunity to validate the early hype Sunday, securing a coveted spot in the final drill of Elite 11 action. His competition in that pressure-packed environment included Texas A&M commit Tate Martell, Arizona pledge Braxton Burmeister and event MVP Chase Garbers, who holds multiple Power Five offers.

Those quarterbacks are each working toward their final high school season. Daniels still has three more years at Mater Dei ahead of him.

“He’s a kid who already understands tempo. He has a good feel for pace, and when he needs to go to the 'fireball,' he can laser the ball in," Elite 11 coach Matt James said. "I put him in with the No. 1 group throughout the day just to kind of watch him compared to the more experience guys, and it wasn’t too big a stage for him.”

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.