To MSU program
There is still a long way until signing day in December with twists and turns in recruiting likely along the way, but Mississippi State won a major battle on Saturday.
One of head coach Mike Leach’s top targets in the 2021 recruiting class is George County athlete MJ Daniels. The former Ole Miss commit has had some ups and downs in his recruitment already, but he made his decision on Saturday to commit to the Bulldogs.
“First I love that it’s in-state and it’s easy for my parents to come see me when they want to come see me,” Daniels said. “I love the new coaching staff. Mike Leach’s air-raid offense is going to be great for the defensive backfield we have. We’re playing five DBS so with the air-raid offense we’re going to put up so many points they’re going to be forced to throw the ball giving us opportunities for a lot of interceptions.
“Other than that, I was a Mississippi State fan growing up. Why not come play for them?”
A four-star prospect by 247Sports, Daniels is the No. 3 player in the state of Mississippi. 247 has him as the No. 213 national recruit and the 11th best athlete in the country. He had offers from around the country, including Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Indiana.
The George County standout has already had a pretty wild recruitment to this point. He committed to Ole Miss last November after the Egg Bowl loss and then decommitted from the Rebels during the summer.
The Bulldogs had made up ground with him before his commitment and were though in some circles to be one of
the favorites, but when Daniels released a top six list of schools, MSU was not in it. He later released a top four last month with the Bulldogs making the cut with Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia.
His recruitment took another turn last week when Daniels announced he would be committing and reported that it was between Arkansas and MSU. He came back later that evening and said he would be pushing his commitment back to December which did not happen.
His rollercoaster recruitment to this point is worth it for a Bulldog team trying to get talented players on the defensive side of the ball in this class. Daniels made 52 tackles the last two seasons with seven interceptions and three tackles for loss, but he’s making his biggest impact on offense.
Last year Daniels had 41 completions at quarterback for 626 yards and five touchdowns, 298 yards receiving and four touchdowns and 151 yards rushing. He has 205 yards and a touchdown passing in the first two games this season along with 25 carries for 170 yards and two scores.
247Sports national analyst Charles Power projects Daniels as a future National Football League draft pick and compared him to Lonnie Johnson for the Houston Texans.
“Has a long, lean frame with good stature,” Power said in his evaluation. “Is a versatile athlete who has played quarterback and receiver in addition to multiple spots within the secondary. Likely projects as a defensive back at the next level. Has highlevel ball skills at defensive back with the ability to come down with the football in 50-50 situations. Moves fluidly and looks to be most comfortable in off-man and zone coverage at this time.
“Plays corner primarily but also slides over to safety some. Shows good instincts and breaks on the ball, resulting in a high interception total as a junior. Is a talented, coordinated athlete regardless of where he plays. Will need to continue honing his cover skills as he starts to focus exclusively on defense as he can get caught out of phase at times. Projects as a starter at the Power Five level with the ceiling to develop into a NFL Draft pick.”
Daniels has some family ties in the Southeastern Conference and especially in Starkville. His cousins are Texas A&M defensive tackle Mckinnley Jackson and MSU safety Dylan Lawrence. His uncle is former Bulldog Tony Buckhalter who played running back for the Bulldogs in the mid 1990’s.