SI All-American Candidate MJ Daniels Names Ole Miss in Top 4

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are right there on the best athlete in Mississippi. Four-star athlete and SI All-American candidate MJ Daniels named Ole Miss among his top four contenders for his talents on Saturday morning.

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels are right there on the best athlete in Mississippi.

Four-star athlete and SI All-American candidate MJ Daniels named Ole Miss among his top four contenders for his talents on Saturday morning. 

Ole Miss appears alongside Mississippi State, Georgia and Texas A&M to land the quarterback and defensive back out of Lucedale, Miss.

Daniels' recruitment has been open, shut and then open again. 

Originally offered by Matt Luke and the former Ole Miss staff in Sept. of 2019, Daniels committed to the Rebels back in November, weeks before Luke's firing. Since Kiffin and Co. took over in Oxford, he's taken two unofficial visits with the new staff, first on Jan. 25 and later on March 1, right before recruiting shut down for good. He then decommitted from Ole Miss in June. 

Daniels did not get offers from Mississippi State and Texas A&M until this February and Georgia later in April. He has not had the opportunity to visit any of the other three, giving Ole Miss a bit of a lead despite the prior decommitment. 

Below reads the full SI All-American scouting report for one of the more intriguing prospects in the nation:

Athleticism: He has a good burst, an excellent north, and south runner. Struggles at times in the short game, but makes up for it with his instincts and ability to run under passes and recover from his mistakes. He possesses a burst for the ball that few have as a two-way prospect.

Instincts: He has a great feel for the ball is in the air, this often saves him when he gets beat on routes. He's shown the ability to recover and run under passes for interceptions. He's also a lot more comfortable in zone coverage because he can get his eyes on the quarterback and get a sense of where he's going with the ball.

Polish: A coordinated player, excellent hand-eye coordination regardless of alignment. Knows how to high point passes and track the tip of the ball. Shows skills at receiver and as a runner as well. Running crisp, fast routes on offense, running through arm tackles left and right after the catch as well. Raw otherwise.

Bottom Line: Daniels is a gifted athlete who has the size and speed to play Power Five football right now. He’s an effective weapon on both offense and defense but his primary projectable skills seem to be at corner, specifically in zone coverage using his instincts and ball skills to make plays. With some more development of his man coverage and footwork, he should be a dangerous corner with the frame to move to safety if need be.

More From Ole Miss Recruiting:

Ole Miss is Getting a True Track Star in Latest Commit Drew Donley

Rebels Lane DE Demarcus Smith Over Mississippi State, Tennessee, Others

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