QB JT Daniels headlines Bulldogs returning to ‘finish business’

ATHENS — JT Daniels decided to clean up some of the wishy-washiness left over from the previous day.

A day after posting “to be continued …” on his Instagram account, the Georgia quarterback used his Twitter feed to inform the Bulldog Nation he indeed is committing to playing for them in 2021.

There was some speculation that Daniels, a third-year sophomore and therefore draft-eligible, might test the NFL after one season at UGA. Tuesday’s message ended any such conjecture.

“Found my new home,” Daniels wrote. “Now we got unfinished business.”

Daniels’ news came in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon in which there were several roster updates in what’s expected to be a busy month of ingress and egress. The Bulldogs got some extremely good news from senior defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, who announced he intended to return for another season, and junior running back James Cook, who decided he would return rather than test the NFL draft as an underclassman.

Those developments followed the decisions of senior defensive lineman Malik Herring, who said he plans to move on and enter NFL draft, and junior wideout Matt Landers, who entered the transfer portal.

Wyatt’s decision is very significant, especially in light of decisions yet to come. The 6-foot-3, 301-pound tackle from Decatur is one of the Bulldogs’ more active and productive interior lineman. With four tackles in the win against No. 8 Cincinnati on Friday, he finished with 25 tackles and 16 quarterback pressures on the season. A former junior college transfer, Wyatt has now started 11 consecutive games for Georgia, including all 10 this season.

“Let’s run it back!” Wyatt said on Twitter.

Wyatt, one of the Bulldogs’ quick and versatile defensive linemen, can play nose guard as well as the three-technique tackle and defensive end. Meanwhile, Wyatt and rising sophomore Jalen Carter would give Georgia two viable options over center in the event that junior Jordan Davis decides to turn pro. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Davis is still mulling his decision.

Likewise, Herring was an every-game starter at defensive end. But the Bulldogs are better suited to absorb his loss with the return of budding all-star Travon Walker and a host of other young defensive linemen. Georgia already is expected to lose several other stalwarts from the defense, including cornerbacks D.J. Daniel and Eric Stokes, middle linebacker Monty Rice and All-SEC outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari.

Landers’ decision to transfer is not much of a surprise. The 6-5, 200-pound junior simply never could overcome injury and playmaking issues during his time in Athens. He entered this season expecting to be a major part of Georgia’s receiver rotation, but ultimately caught only two passes for 27 yards while appearing in eight games. He had 12 receptions in his career.

Otherwise, Georgia looks to be reloading on offense. That starts with Daniels and Cook.

Because of injury-rehab precautions and coaching decisions, Daniels didn’t take over as Georgia’s starting quarterback until Game 7 of the pandemic-shortened season. But he went 4-0 once he did.

In games against Mississippi State, South Carolina, Missouri and Cincinnati, Daniels completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions. Moreover, Daniels showed a penchant for completing the long ball, more than doubling Georgia’s number of 40-plus yard plays and hooking up with George Pickens on a season-long 55-yard pass against Cincinnati on Friday in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Included in that ledger was 401 yards and four touchdowns in his season debut against Mississippi State and 392 yards that helped lead No. 9 Georgia to a 24-21, come-from-behind win over Cincinnati.

Cook, a 5-11, 190-pound junior, missed the Peach Bowl after the sudden death of his father, James Cook Jr., on Tuesday. The Miami native has developed into the Bulldogs’ most versatile back, finishing the season as the team’s second-leading rusher, with 303 yards, and fourth-leading receiver, with 16 catches. He scored five touchdowns, including a season-long score of 82 yards against Alabama.

Cook had the same message as the other returning Bulldogs. “Unfinished business.”