Former Gamecock earns starting quarterback role at FCS school

A former South Carolina quarterback is now a starter at his new school.

Norfolk State announced on Sunday that Jalen Daniels , who started his career with the Gamecocks as a walk-on and also played at Garden City Community College in Kansas, will be the Spartans’ starting quarterback for the 2024 season.

Daniels, in his first season at Norfolk State, beat out returning starter and preseason all-conference selection Otto Kuhns for the job at the HBCU.

“He’s done a really good job throughout fall camp and got himself in the position to be the starting quarterback,” Norfolk State coach Dawson Odums said of Daniels, per The Virginian-Pilot . “I think it’s a good opportunity for him, and we’re just looking forward to see what that looks like come game day.”

Daniels, 20, started his college career at South Carolina. He was a bit of a surprise addition to a Gamecocks quarterback room, walking onto the team a month before the 2022 season as a true freshman and former three-star recruit .

Daniels joined USC partially because of his relationship with starting quarterback Spencer Rattler , with whom he shared a private quarterback coach. He transferred to a San Diego school for his senior year but, like Rattler, played most of his high school football in the Phoenix area.

He didn’t appear in a game during his lone season with South Carolina before transferring to Garden City Community College in Kansas in January 2023.

Daniels (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) appeared in eight games for the JUCO last fall and completed 57.1% of his passes for 1,282 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also had two rushing touchdowns.

Daniels and Norfolk State, an FCS school that competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), open their season in primetime in Week 0.

The Spartans will play Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Saturday Aug. 24 in Atlanta (7:30 p.m., ABC). The game’s at Center Parc Stadium, home of Georgia State football and, once, the MLB’s Atlanta Braves.

Norfolk State also has a big Week 1 game at East Carolina.

Daniels said he was “grateful” for the opportunity.

“I’m a guy that wants to win,” he said, per the Pilot. “I don’t try and do too much. Just trust my guys, trust the play-calling, the offense. … Definitely just a winner.”

Where are they now?

With Rattler off the NFL after two excellent seasons as South Carolina’s starting quarterback, the Gamecocks and coach Shane Beamer are entering 2024 with a new QB. Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, widely presumed to be the starter in Week 1 after beating out Auburn transfer Robby Ashford so far.

Outside of Daniels at Norfolk State, a handful of other one-time South Carolina quarterbacks are also suiting up for 2024.

Ryan Hilinski , who started 11 games and had a few big moments for USC as a true freshman in 2019, is entering his sixth and final season of college football at Northwestern. Hilinski, a graduate student, is in his fourth year with the Big Ten program and is expected to back up Mike Wright in 2024.

Braden Davis , who redshirted and did not appear in any games at South Carolina in 2023, is entering his second year at Syracuse. He’s changed positions from quarterback to wide receiver.

Two other quarterbacks from USC’s 2023 roster have also moved on after entering the transfer portal after last season. Tanner Bailey , an Alabama native, announced in January that he was stepping away from football. He’s currently enrolled at Auburn as a student.

Colten Gauthier also transferred and announced a commitment to play for FCS Gardner-Webb in the Charlotte area in January. But that post has since been deleted, and Gauthier is not listed on the Bulldogs’ roster for this year.