ATHENS — Georgia quarterback JT Daniels might have aggravated some upper body soreness that originated 2 1/2 weeks ago when he took an inadvertent hit to his upper body in a closed fall scrimmage.
That soreness, while leading to back-up quarterback Carson Beck getting more work with the ones this week, hasn’t kept Daniels out of practice, according to sources and his teammates.
Some outlets have reported Daniels as “injured,” but sources close to the situation say if the USC transfer has missed reps this week on account of an ailment, “it’s not very serious.”
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Receiver Ladd McConkey was asked after practice on Wednesday if there was any uncertainty over who would be throwing the ball with the starting offense in Saturday’s home-opener against UAB.
“I don’t think so,” McConkey said. “JT and Carson both take reps every week and every day, so we’re confident in both of them. They both have good balls and good arm strength, we’re confident in either way that goes.”
Both Daniels and Beck have been taking reps with the first team this week, with Beck getting the majority of the work on Tuesday.
It’s not unusual for starters who are bruised or banged up to get limited reps during the week along with receiving treatment.
UGA has not allowed media any practice observation.
Offensive tackle Warren McClendon indicated on Wednesday that Daniels has looked fine.
“He’s been looking good, you know, he hasn’t missed a beat,” McClendon said after practice. “He’s been practicing and taking reps. He looks good.”
The 247Sports network reported Daniels as “questionable” for the game against Alabama-Birmingham.
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (1-0) play their home-opening game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday (TV: ESPN2) against the Blazers (1-0) in Sanford Stadium.
Daniels was sacked once in the 10-3 win over Clemson, but he did not show any signs of injury during the game, and he handled his post-game interviews in stride.
The closed-scrimmage incident was inadvertent, occurring when a blocker was thrown back into Daniels.
Georgia keeps its quarterbacks in non-contact jerseys and tried to protect them in scrimmages.
The Georgia defensive line is so dominant, however, that it has 16 sacks in the past two games, including seven on Clemson last Saturday night.
An Atlanta podcast questioned Daniels’ health on Wednesday afternoon, sparking speculation of an injury that could put the quarterback’s status in question.
“They are both taking reps during practice,” McClendon said. “JT coming in there and takes reps and Carson (Beck) comes in there, too, and takes some reps.”
Beck is the second-team quarterback, and Coach Kirby Smart said Stetson Bennett also gets occasional work. Freshman Brock Vandagriff works with the scout team.
Smart has not made mention of any injuries to Daniels in any of the four media appearances he has made since the win over the Tigers.
