Oklahoma State Safety Kendal Daniels Will Play 'Closer to the Ball' Next Season

Entering his third season, the Cowboy expected to play a new role in the defense.

Oklahoma State's Kendal Daniels (5) celebrates an Oklahoma State fumble in the first half of the / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished their inaugural season under the guidance of defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo. He brought in a 3-3-5 defensive scheme which allows for defensive playmakers to shine. Last season, one player who took advantage of the opportunity to excel was safety Kendal Daniels.

Daniels, a four-star recruit from Beggs, OK, totaled 105 total tackles, two interceptions and two sacks last season for the Cowboys. It was his second season of action after appearing in 13 games during his redshirt freshman season.

Now, a new role is expected for Daniels after he transformed his body, as head coach Mike Gundy explained.

"Kendal went from 204 to almost 240 now," Gundy said on Tuesday. "That's why we're doing some things with him. We can bring him down and invert him now, play him in a standup position closer to the ball."

The scheme Nardo brought to Stillwater leaves a lot to be relied on from the linebackers. Daniels is a consistent defender and would be a great glue guy in the middle of the field. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, a move from safety to linebacker makes sense. Daniels, a part of the 2021 recruiting class, joined the program at 190 pounds.

"He's more valuable," Gundy said. "But we can move him back and let him cover the middle of the field if we want to some. His long term will be closer to the ball, but I don't know that anybody knew that he would get to almost 240 pounds. He projected more than what we thought."

To be able to bring Daniels down closer to the ball, playmakers like Collin Oliver can focus more on the pursuit of the quarterback and disrupting players in that manner. It seems as if Nardo's second season in Stillwater is going to hoist a very solid defense.

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