Brian Dohn - 247Sports
2020 DB Mordecai McDaniel Commits to Florida
The Florida Gators entered today with six commitments from defensive back prospects for their 2020 class - seven if you include athlete Marc Britt, who has experience on both sides of the ball.
That isn't stopping Florida's secondary coaches Torrian Gray and Ron English from solidifying the back end of the Gators' defense for years to come.
2020 defensive back Mordecai McDaniel of St. John's College High School (Washington, D.C.) has committed to Florida.
McDaniel was previously committed to the University of Tennessee, but wasted no time flipping to Florida after backing off of that commitment. He joins offensive lineman Joshua Braun as 2020 prospects to cimmit to Florida today.
The 6-1, 195 lb. defensive back has track speed, winning the DCSAA 55 meter dash in 6.54 seconds. Though he has experience at safety, cornerback, and wide receiver, expect McDaniel to hone in on the safety position. McDaniel also provides vast special teams experience, serving as both a returner and on blocks and coverages on kicks and punts in high school.
And even at only one position, McDaniel is still plenty versatile. He can line up deep in split zones to defend the deep ball, and has flashed the instincts to play box safety or the STAR nickel cornerback position, in order to set the edge against the run and cover the flats.
On film, McDaniel makes tackles all over the field by diagnosing play direction and angling himself to make a play. The Gators' safety room has struggled with tackling angles as of late, and with time in Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's system, McDaniel should provide an upgrade in that aspect.
An area McDaniel will need further development with is his footwork as he makes his breaks. His speed gets the job done at the high school level and will pay dividends against the run and pass, but with added polish and crispness to his footwork, McDaniel can transcend his speed to the next level.
You can check out McDaniel's film below, and welcome McDaniel to the University of Florida by following him on Twitter here.