Name: Mordecai McDaniel
Position: Safety
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 lbs
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
High School: St. John’s College High School
Twitter: @HunnitBandCai
247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overview:
A four-star product of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., which was established in 1851, McDaniel originally committed to a different Southeastern Conference (SEC) East Division program, Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers.
Courted by defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, he pledged to the Knoxville-based outfit on August 21, 2019. Slightly less than four months later, on December 13, he flipped to the Gators, thanks, in large part, to the efforts of cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray and safeties coach Ron English.
Signing his National Letter of Intent (LOI) just five days after flipping, McDaniel’s speed jumps off the screen while watching his film. Also a member of the track and field team during his days as a St. John’s Cadet in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), he won the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) 55-meter dash with a blazing time of 6.54 seconds.
McDaniel played both cornerback and safety during his prep career, and is listed as a cornerback on 247Sports, but many around Florida’s program project him to focus on the safety position in Gainesville.
With Shawn Davis and Brad Stewart, both seniors, projected to start at the safety positions for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham in 2020 and two more seniors, Quincy Lenton and Donovan Stiner, listed on the two-deep depth chart, there appears to be a path to significant playing time for McDaniel beginning in 2021.
As a true freshman, it is likely we will see him contribute on special teams.
Overall, McDaniel is the thirteenth-highest rated of the Gators’ 21 enrollees in the 2020 cycle and the ninth-highest on the defensive side of the football.
Video:
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