Scott Porter: What was it like playing for Kansas State?
Danzel McDaniel: It was great. I learned so much playing under Coach Snyder. It was great to play under a hall of fame name and for him to be inducted into the hall of fame while I was playing was a great experience. I have nothing but respect for the Kansas State program. I owe a lot of my success to Kansas State. They really helped me get my name on the map and believed in me. I came in right away and earned a starting position and helped contribute to the team. I am going to miss playing football for Kansas State.
Scott Porter: How has Bill Snyder helped your progress towards working towards your dream of playing in the NFL and as a person?
Danzel McDaniel: Man, he has helped a tremendous amount in both categories. I am going to start with the player portion first. They knew coming in that I was a physical player and that I liked press coverage. A lot of people thought I was a safety but Bill Snyder and the coaching staff gave me a chance at cornerback. They believed in my ability to play cornerback. We had a very similar defense at Kansas State to what I played while playing at College of Dupage and Dodge City. Coach Tom Hayes was a tremendous help in developing me as a cornerback. He was familiar with coaching tall cornerbacks who had gotten to the NFL. He worked with me to stay low and developed my technique. My technique improved 100 times from when I walked into Kansas State. Instead of bending at the knees I learned to bend at the waist. I felt like the entire coaching staff taught me so much at Kansas State. They really worked with me to reach my full potential to put my in the position I am in today. Several times Coach Snyder would see something that didn’t look quite right and he would grab you from a drill and chat with me one on one to help bring me along. As a person I would say they changed my character a lot. Coming from JUCO it is a struggle. I came into Kansas State with the attitude that everyone was against me. In JUCO football I felt that way. The coaches changed my mentality around and let me know that they are here for me. Coach Snyder and other coaches changed my entire attitude around once I got there. I had a different outlook on life being around Coach Snyder. A lot of times I felt like playing at a JUCO you didn’t know who was for you and who was against you. At Kansas State you felt welcomed by everyone. So, I would say the biggest change the staff at on me as a person was my attitude. They really shaped me into the young man that I am today.
Scott Porter: Who is the toughest wide receiver you have ever faced?
Danzel McDaniel: Non teammate, I would say Kevin White. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s an awesome player. As you know he played for West Virginia and was a first round pick of the Chicago Bears. He is explosive, very physical. He can hit you with a lot of moves. He is good at playing with your mind with his route running. He makes you stay on your toes. However, the hands down top receiver I have ever faced is my former teammate Tyler Lockett who is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Going against him in practice everyday he brought the best out of me. It was an honor to be able to face off against him in practice everyday. The first day I walked into the program he told me he loved my film and that he and I were going to help each other get better. He told me when I go against him to make sure I am pressing him so he can practice getting off the press. I use to love to press him at the line to challenge myself because he was so quick off the line. We went at it everyday and it made us both better players.
Scott Porter: Who has been your biggest influence throughout your collegiate career?
Danzel McDaniel: I would say my biggest influence has been my mother. I watched her struggle. I saw her struggle with her divorce to my father. I saw the amount of work she put into everyday life to provide for me and my sister. She is the reason why I bust my butt to take care of what I need to, to get ahead in life. I want to make sure she doesn’t have to worry anymore. I would also say my son. Danzel McDaniel, Jr, my 16 month old son. Waking up to see his smile or if I am not with him his mom sends me a picture or video of him and he always brightens up my day.
Scott Porter: What do you like most about playing the position of cornerback?
Danzel McDaniel: I don’t think I am going to give you the answer most would expect but the main thing I like about the cornerback position is that I feel I am different breed then most other cornerbacks. I love to cover people, lock them down and talk trash to them but I also love getting off my block and making a big hit to change the game around. I love tackling. I think most cornerback would say they love to cover and make a big play on the ball, which don’t get me wrong I do, but I really love the physical part of the game. I love to tackle and fight off blocks to make the tackle. I want to embarrass a wide receiver both ways. I love to knock a receiver off his block and let him know that he can’t block me. Kevin White and I talked a lot of trash to each other on the field and I really like that competitive back and fourth smash mouth football while respecting your opponent at the same time. I feel like I really earned Kevin White’s respect after our matchup last year.
Danzel McDaniel: It was great. I learned so much playing under Coach Snyder. It was great to play under a hall of fame name and for him to be inducted into the hall of fame while I was playing was a great experience. I have nothing but respect for the Kansas State program. I owe a lot of my success to Kansas State. They really helped me get my name on the map and believed in me. I came in right away and earned a starting position and helped contribute to the team. I am going to miss playing football for Kansas State.
Scott Porter: How has Bill Snyder helped your progress towards working towards your dream of playing in the NFL and as a person?
Danzel McDaniel: Man, he has helped a tremendous amount in both categories. I am going to start with the player portion first. They knew coming in that I was a physical player and that I liked press coverage. A lot of people thought I was a safety but Bill Snyder and the coaching staff gave me a chance at cornerback. They believed in my ability to play cornerback. We had a very similar defense at Kansas State to what I played while playing at College of Dupage and Dodge City. Coach Tom Hayes was a tremendous help in developing me as a cornerback. He was familiar with coaching tall cornerbacks who had gotten to the NFL. He worked with me to stay low and developed my technique. My technique improved 100 times from when I walked into Kansas State. Instead of bending at the knees I learned to bend at the waist. I felt like the entire coaching staff taught me so much at Kansas State. They really worked with me to reach my full potential to put my in the position I am in today. Several times Coach Snyder would see something that didn’t look quite right and he would grab you from a drill and chat with me one on one to help bring me along. As a person I would say they changed my character a lot. Coming from JUCO it is a struggle. I came into Kansas State with the attitude that everyone was against me. In JUCO football I felt that way. The coaches changed my mentality around and let me know that they are here for me. Coach Snyder and other coaches changed my entire attitude around once I got there. I had a different outlook on life being around Coach Snyder. A lot of times I felt like playing at a JUCO you didn’t know who was for you and who was against you. At Kansas State you felt welcomed by everyone. So, I would say the biggest change the staff at on me as a person was my attitude. They really shaped me into the young man that I am today.
Scott Porter: Who is the toughest wide receiver you have ever faced?
Danzel McDaniel: Non teammate, I would say Kevin White. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s an awesome player. As you know he played for West Virginia and was a first round pick of the Chicago Bears. He is explosive, very physical. He can hit you with a lot of moves. He is good at playing with your mind with his route running. He makes you stay on your toes. However, the hands down top receiver I have ever faced is my former teammate Tyler Lockett who is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Going against him in practice everyday he brought the best out of me. It was an honor to be able to face off against him in practice everyday. The first day I walked into the program he told me he loved my film and that he and I were going to help each other get better. He told me when I go against him to make sure I am pressing him so he can practice getting off the press. I use to love to press him at the line to challenge myself because he was so quick off the line. We went at it everyday and it made us both better players.
Scott Porter: Who has been your biggest influence throughout your collegiate career?
Danzel McDaniel: I would say my biggest influence has been my mother. I watched her struggle. I saw her struggle with her divorce to my father. I saw the amount of work she put into everyday life to provide for me and my sister. She is the reason why I bust my butt to take care of what I need to, to get ahead in life. I want to make sure she doesn’t have to worry anymore. I would also say my son. Danzel McDaniel, Jr, my 16 month old son. Waking up to see his smile or if I am not with him his mom sends me a picture or video of him and he always brightens up my day.
Scott Porter: What do you like most about playing the position of cornerback?
Danzel McDaniel: I don’t think I am going to give you the answer most would expect but the main thing I like about the cornerback position is that I feel I am different breed then most other cornerbacks. I love to cover people, lock them down and talk trash to them but I also love getting off my block and making a big hit to change the game around. I love tackling. I think most cornerback would say they love to cover and make a big play on the ball, which don’t get me wrong I do, but I really love the physical part of the game. I love to tackle and fight off blocks to make the tackle. I want to embarrass a wide receiver both ways. I love to knock a receiver off his block and let him know that he can’t block me. Kevin White and I talked a lot of trash to each other on the field and I really like that competitive back and fourth smash mouth football while respecting your opponent at the same time. I feel like I really earned Kevin White’s respect after our matchup last year.
