Oklahoma’s Kendal Daniels Ready for ‘Real Special’ Home-State Finale in CFP

NORMAN — It's been a big week on top of a big season for Kendal Daniels. The transfer from Oklahoma State just recently celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday and hopes to celebrate a College Football Playoff win on Friday in Norman.

The location of the game holds special meaning for someone who grew up in Beggs off U.S. 75 south of Tulsa. This is Daniels' final game in his home state. "It's going to be real special now," Daniels said on Monday. "It's the playoffs."

Of course, Daniels — with the information he had at the time — thought the same thing during the week of preparation for LSU. Before Oklahoma defeated the Tigers and punched their ticket to the playoffs, Daniels and the Sooners did not know their ultimate fate to come. He made his peace with that game potentially being his Oklahoma swan song.

As luck would have it, Daniels earned an extra last game in Oklahoma.

"It means a lot. I'm trying to take it all in," Daniels said. "This is the last game I'll play in Oklahoma, so being able to have family and everybody come to the games has been such a blessing."

Per Pro Football Focus, Daniels has had his best season in college by far — grading out at 76.6 overall (his highest grade prior was 69.4 in 2022). Statistically, Daniels had flashier seasons early on as a Cowboy, but his impact as Brent Venables' "cheetah-backer" helped push the defense into an elite category.

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Daniels mentality is in the right place. He routinely mentioned that Friday's matchup between No. 8 OU and No. 9 Alabama would be his final game in Oklahoma, but that his Sooners have four games left. No doubt a byproduct of Venables' motivational tactics. As it turned out, Daniels became another in a growing list of players believing in what their head coach is preaching.

"Coach Venables would say a sentence, when I first got here, he would say half a sentence and the whole defense would say the rest, and I was just looking around like I’d never heard that before," Daniels said. "But now I’m able to do that and be with the guys and be around the guys and just have fun."

The fit between Daniels and the Sooners hasn’t just worked — it’s thrived. Daniels has both helped Oklahoma's defense unlock another level while increasing his individual stock as a potential NFL draft pick. As he prepares for one more game in the Sooner State, Daniels is trying to focus on the opportunity of Friday being a springboard to more.

"I try not to think about it so much that it will be my last Oklahoma game, but it what it is," Daniels said. "And, you know, we still have three more games after that."