Purdue Football: Recruiting Profile - Christian Daniels

While most of Purdue’s recruiting is as clear as thick mud, a few prospects are beginning to move to the forefront in recruiting. Purdue offered Daniels, a 6’2, 200 pound QB/S from Elon, NC, on May 23, and the interest appears to be mutual.

In addition to his Purdue offer, Daniels currently holds offers from UNC Charlotte, Furman, Coastal Carolina, Richmond, Navy, Air Force, Elon, Old Dominion, Army and Miami (Ohio).

Daniels’ recruitment is interesting because not only does he have a choice of schools, but he also has a choice of positions, some schools are offering him as a quarterback and some schools are offering him as safety. Purdue is interested in his services in their defensive backfield.

Daniels was a participant in the Charlotte Regional version of “The Opening” and put up solid athletic numbers.

40 Yard Dash: 4.67

Shuttle: 4.38

Verticle: 34.8

Now, before you wince at the seemingly slow 4.67, I have a little secret to let you in on. Most high school kids that claim a 4.4 usually run a 4.5 or a 4.6. Daniels 4.67 isn’t blazing, but it is sufficient for the position. His overall rating of 110.46 put him 12th overall in a group of over 100 athletes and in the 99th percentile of all Nike Athletes tested in the class of 18’.

I find the fact that Daniels plays both QB and S to be intriguing. Purdue has hit big on converted high school QB’s moving to safety in the past. Experience playing quarterback gives a safety a unique look at what the other team is attempting to achieve, and may give them a slight jump over other safeties in terms of recognition, and in college football, a slight jump may be the difference between picking of a pass or being burned for a touchdown.

His defensive highlight film is good (as you expect all highlight films to be). He shows good speed and is a willing tackler. He bats the ball instead of making a play for the ball a little too often for my taste, but remember, you’ve got to assume he spends the majority of his practice time at QB. A little time with Coach Poindexter and any technique issues should be smoothed out.

Overall, Daniels is a player to keep an eye on for a commitment sooner rather than later. Purdue is currently his only P5 offer (although other schools are starting to show interest) and he is probably going to decide sooner rather than later. He might be a good candidate to start the Purdue class.