Mercer Wide Receiver Adonis McDaniel Headed to Oregon State

WR Adonis McDaniel, a 5'10" 170 pound playmaker who caught 6 TDs last season, will join his starting QB Braden Atkinson at OSU. Learn more here.

Nov 22, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Mercer Bears wide receiver Adonis McDaniel (2) dives for the ball as Auburn Tigers defensive back Rayshawn Pleasant (14) defends during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

For the second day in a row, a member of Mercer's prolific 2025 passing game took his talents to Corvallis.

Earlier this morning, Mercer junior wideout Adonis McDaniel announced his commitment to Oregon State. A little over an hour later, he tweeted out a selfie celebrating a conference championship with his cigar-smoking starting quarterback Braden Atkinson, who joined the Beavers yesterday.

On Mercer's Macon Georgia campus, the pair made magic: across 12 games last season, McDaniel caught 52 passes for 676 yards and 6 touchdowns. His season highlight arguably came against Furman on November 1st, when he caught 7 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, including an impressive 44 yard deep strike. Last season, McDaniel excelled on speedy vertical "go" routes, comebacks, and more.

In his prep days, McDaniel was a multi-faceted student-athlete at Ridge View HS (Columbia, SC) minutes from Williams-Bryce Stadium and the South Carolina campus. First he excelled at quarterback, but switched positions partly due to his size; at only 5'10" and 170 pounds, wide receiver offered more potential at the next level. Each offseason, McDaniel starred on Ridge View's high school basketball team, earning all-conference honors.

From there, the Columbia native enrolled at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne (Hickory, NC). From 2023-24, McDaniel played in 16 games, catching 56 passes for 1000 yards and 5 touchdowns. Last offseason, he transferred to Mercer through the portal, and took part in a passing game that torched the football subdivision. Alongside quarterback Braden Atkinson, McDaniel and the Mercer Bears won nine straight contests from September through early November, clinched the Southern Conference championship, and reached the second round of the FCS playoffs.

McDaniel joins a wide receiver room that includes fellow wide receiver transfers Aaron Butler & Xayvion Noland, returning pass catchers like Eddie Freauff (4 starts with 12 catches, 144 yards, 1 touchdown) and Malachi Durant (reserve snaps across 11 games), and more.