JT Daniels ended his first full practice as USC’s starting quarterback by tossing deep balls to his wide receivers. He joked with Tyler Vaughns on his way off Howard Jones Field, smiling lightheartedly. Only last week, his duties would have been completed right then and there.
But Tuesday, Daniels had to hang around. USC sports information director Tim Tessalone came over to him to share some quick wisdom, stuff they had already covered in a recent team meeting about handling media interviews. Be smart, Tessalone reminded him. Then came Clay Helton, who decided Sunday to turn Daniels from a heralded true freshman into the new face of his entire program, to chat for a second.