Daniels may be a hidden gem for Nebraska football.
The early returns on Nebraska’s new roster additions are looking promising. 247Sports released its first-ever transfer rankings on Wednesday, and Nebraska Football was well-represented.
Darrion Daniels who came from Oklahoma State in December, checked in with a 92 overall rating. That placed him at number nine on the list of transfers.
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This is great news for the Nebraska football program. As many of you may know, Daniels had a tremendous four years at Oklahoma State. Injuries derailed his 2018 season but in 2017, he showed that he could be a very impactful player. He started 10 games and recorded 26 tackles, a half sack, five tackles for a loss, 10 pass breakups, and a plethora of quarterback hurries.
If he can continue to play at a high level for Nebraska football, that would be tremendous. He is joining his brother Damien and his experience should be helpful for a Nebraska football team that has a fair amount of youth on the line. What I’ll be looking for is to see how he comes back from injury. He certainly has the talent and skills to be able to play at a high level. However with the injury, I would not expect a ton out of him in 2019.
However, there are several things that work in his favor. According to a report from Michael Bruntz of 247Sports, Daniels is already on campus and has been taking part in the winter conditioning program. Arriving at Lincoln early is important for a player like Daniels as that will allow him to get acclimated to his surroundings and what the expectations of the program are. Now in his second year as head coach, Scott Frost has a better idea of how his players function and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Thus, I can imagine that Frost will expect much more out of his players in 2019. Should that be the case, Daniels will be ready.
Second, arriving on campus early gives Daniels time to focus more on rehab. Although he may not require much, it will be great for him to get stronger in preparation for next season. He could be a major catalyst for the defensive line, and he needs to make sure he is ready. As it stands right now, it looks like he is in line for a great year.
Nebraska football may have found a hidden gem in Darrion Daniels. If he can get back to what he was when he was healthy, he could give a tremendous boost to the Nebraska football defense.