Georgia Freshmen Faces: Get to Know David Daniel

Georgia has 16 early enrollees already on campus and getting to work. Today we introduce David Daniel

Georgia's 2021 recruiting class had two clear and obvious leaders. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff played a pivotal role in hosting recruits and showing them around Athens when they took visits on their own this year. Then there was David Daniel, or as we know at Dawgs Daily, the Lead Dawg. 

Daniel was the first player in the 2021 cycle to commit to Georgia, and he never wavered. From the moment he committed, there was no flirting with other programs; there was only making Georgia's 2021 class as good as he could. 

Now, already on campus in Athens, Daniel is beginning to settle into collegiate life. According to sources, he's currently cross-training at both safety and STAR and is working on studying a rather extensive playbook for both positions. 

Daniel has gained a good bit of weight since he first arrived on campus during the practices leading up to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. He's gained at least 10 pounds and is continuing to move very well in workouts. 

Here's what our SI All-American staff had to say about Daniel:

Frame: Athletic frame with very good body definition. Excellent length through arms with cut shoulders and biceps. Tightly-wound torso and lower half.

Athleticism: Plays with light feet and some bounce on the back end to change direction. Has very good build-up speed to aid his range and allow him to factor in space. Good plant-and-drive when coming forward either on underneath routes or squeezing the line of scrimmage to attack the run.

Instincts: Takes very good angles to the ball and ball-carriers from the third level. Tracks run and shows good vision across the second level in the box. Works to shed blockers and relies on knife technique to finish, but will attempt to deliver a blow if he’s allowed to generate force. Post-safety who reads and keys on quarterbacks before launching to attack passing lanes. Good leap timing and ball skills.

Polish: Will need to improve strength to be able to shed blocks to play the run efficiently in college. Also will need to become more consistent getting out of transition and not playing top-heavy. Should be ready to contribute in sub-packages after some physical development.

Bottom Line: Daniel currently plays field-safety and spends some time on the edges of the box. He has good ball skills, awareness and his play speed is aided by his anticipation on the back end. He also plays with solid vision versus the run and takes good angles to the ball. While he will need to add strength and develop in man coverage, Daniel projects well as a safety who can play in the post at the collegiate level.

Player Comp: J.R. Reed

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