Dynamic Duo: the Mater Dei Connection
Heading into USC’s season opener, all the hype was being heaped onto 18-year-old phenom J.T. Daniels’ shoulders. According to those standards, he was slightly underwhelming on Saturday. ESPN’s third ranked quarterback threw for 282 yards and one score on 22 of 35 passing, leading the Trojans to a 43–21 win over UNLV. Still, this was not your typical twenty-two point blow out by any stretch of the imagination. UNLV led multiple times in the first half, and USC held only a five point cushion throughout much of the third quarter before pulling away in the 4th.
Taking into consideration that this was his first ever college start, while playing in front of 59,000 rowdy fans expecting him to be their savior, Daniels played admirably. Yet it was his Mater Dei High School teammate at receiver who truly stood out. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven balls for 98 yards and a score. His chemistry with Daniels was evident from the start, as he caught five of J.T.’s first ten pass attempts. After the game, Daniels spoke about his connection with St. Brown, saying, “I mean I always know where Amon’s gonna be. I never look at the receiver before the play unless it’s man coverage…and if it’s man to man, I always know that I can trust Amon to be in the right spot.”
Not only did Amon help J.T. ease into the speed of the game, but he also helped seal it at the start of the 4th quarter when he caught a 43-yard deep post in the endzone to extend the lead to 26–14. Daniels threw a beautiful, high-arching pass in stride to St. Brown, causing Trojan fans to erupt as they realized that this was a special connection that would shine for years to come. “You know, Coach Tee (Tee Martin) put that in on Tuesday — that play — for that exact same look when we got the corner outside leverage, and we got the big post look, and you always know Amon’s gonna run his route right,” Daniels said as he walked proudly into the tunnel to celebrate with his teammates.
It should come as no surprise that Amon is already a high-level college wideout. His oldest brother, Equanimeous, was a Notre Dame standout who is preparing to start his first NFL season with the Packers. It should be a treat to watch Aaron Rodgers drop the ball into his incredible hands this year. Their middle brother, Osiris, is a sophomore wide receiver at Stanford who is expected to have a breakout season. Somehow, Amon, the baby of the family, may be more talented than both. Not only can he burn a cornerback at will, but he may already be one of the best blocking wideouts in the nation. According to J.T.’s father Steve Daniels, “His goal is to play three years of college football and be the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game and to be the best blocking wide receiver that ever played the game. Don’t bet against Amon.”
Amon sure knows how to set lofty goals, and if Saturday was any indication of things to come, he may be on his way to superstardom. Starting alongside his highly accurate high school quarterback won’t hurt either. Expect big things from the Mater Dei freshmen.