Mississippi State football target and SI All-American Candidate M.J. Daniels sets, then pushes back, commitment date
(NOTE: This article has been updated since its original posting to reflect a new timeline revealed by MSU football recruiting target M.J. Daniels.)
On Wednesday, Mississippi State target and one of the state of Mississippi's top recruits set a date in which he planned to commit, then later announced a change of heart and different timeline. Sports Illustrated All-Amercian candidate M.J. Daniels of George County High in Lucedale took to Twitter on Wednesday and posted he was planning to announce his collegiate destination on Friday. Then, shortly after, Daniels posted he'd instead decided to push his decision back to December.
Last month, Daniels released his Top 4 schools. Along with Mississippi State, Daniels also revealed Ole Miss, Georgia and Texas A&M as his finalists. He was previously committed to Ole Miss, but went back on that pledge this past June and in a Twitter post at the time said, "I don't want to say I made the wrong decision, I just made a good decision too early." With a few more months to think about it, Daniels appeared for a short while on Wednesday to be ready to announce a decision yet again. However if Daniels sticks to his most-recently-revealed plan, it'll be another three months before that time comes.
Daniels is a consensus Top-10 prospect inside the state of Mississippi by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. He can play on both sides of the football, but projects as a cornerback at the collegiate level.
Here is Daniels' SI All-American scouting report:
Prospect: MJ Daniels
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Position: Cornerback/Quarterback
School: Lucedale (Miss.) George County
Schools of Interest: Considering Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia, Auburn, Indiana, and others.
Projected Position: Cornerback
Frame: Fit, muscular build. Already filled into next-level size with some room to add mass overall.
Athleticism: He has a good burst, an excellent north, and south runner. Struggles at times in the short game, but makes up for it with his instincts and ability to run under passes and recover from his mistakes. He possesses a burst for the ball that few have as a two-way prospect.
Instincts: He has a great feel for the ball is in the air, this often saves him when he gets beat on routes. He's shown the ability to recover and run under passes for interceptions. He's also a lot more comfortable in zone coverage because he can get his eyes on the quarterback and get a sense of where he's going with the ball.
Polish: A coordinated player, excellent hand-eye coordination regardless of alignment. Knows how to high point passes and track the tip of the ball. Shows skills at receiver and as a runner as well. Running crisp, fast routes on offense, running through arm tackles left and right after the catch as well. Raw otherwise.
Bottom Line: Daniels is a gifted athlete who has the size and speed to play Power Five football right now. He’s an effective weapon on both offense and defense but his primary projectable skills seem to be at corner, specifically in zone coverage using his instincts and ball skills to make plays. With some more development of his man coverage and footwork, he should be a dangerous corner with the frame to move to safety if need be.
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