Gators Land Pledge From RB Kahnen Daniels

Running back Kahnen Daniels becomes the sixth prospect to join the Florida Gators 2024 recruiting class.

West Point (Miss.) running back Kahnen Daniels will continue his football career with the Florida Gators, he declared on Monday afternoon.

The consensus four-star back committed to Florida over offers from 18 programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Oregon and Texas A&M among others.

His pledge becomes the second for running backs coach Jabbar Juluke this cycle, joining fellow ball carrier Chauncey Bowens as a future piece in the Florida backfield. 

Daniels visited Gainesville late last week for the second time and was in attendance for the Gators' second scrimmage of the practice sessions on Thursday. His return trip to campus was enough for Napier, Juluke and Co. to seal the deal on obtaining his services.

He pulled the trigger with his commitment on Monday as a result. 

Daniels, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, was as productive a ball carrier as any prep talent during the 2022 season, accumulating 2,032 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on 203 attempts.

Possessing a stout frame, he’s able to run through arms tackles in a manner that fits the physical style of RBs the Gators have targeted under Juluke.

However, Daniels’ patience, vision and burst as a ball carrier make up the strengths of his game. He’s a direct complement to Bowens — a downhill, bruising-style rusher — as a result. 

Daniels operated in a variety of ways in the run-heavy scheme West Point imposes. Taking snaps at Wildcat quarterback and aligning out wide to take jet sweeps out of motion, he shows a multifaceted approach to toting the rock.

Despite the untraditional medium in which his high school coaching staff gets the ball in his hands, he’s shown the intangibles to perform as a true running back prospect at the next level.

He’ll do just that at UF.  

The Gators have valuable momentum at this point in the 2024 recruiting process, having earned six commitments total to this point with an even distribution between offensive and defensive talent. Simultaneously, the spots being filled come at thin positions on the current roster, as quarterback, running back, linebacker and safety have been prioritized. 

As the spring game — set for Thursday — quickly approaches, Florida’s upward trend in the recruiting sphere bodes well for Napier’s accumulation of talent in a crucial second year at the helm.

The Gators are expected to welcome a plethora of recruits to campus for the Orange and Blue Game this week.

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