Freshman running back De’Quan Daniels has been in Savannah State’s football camp for less than two weeks and he’s not taking anything for granted.
“I’m just hoping I can get on the field, get some playing time, progress and do what I can do,” said the former Statesboro High School star.
Daniels showed a lot with the Blue Devils early on, running for 1,702 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore halfback and fullback in the team’s wishbone offense.
And while he never put up those numbers in his next two years in high school, he remained one of the top local recruits corralled by Savannah State in recent memory.
“If you wanted a package to build a running back out of, he has all the components,” SHS coach Steve Pennington said. “He has the ability to stop on a dime or make a cut or a move in a split second.
“He can run inside or outside and has the knack to get where he needs to get as quickly as possibly.”
SSU Tigers coach Earnest Wilson sees the same things and remains optimistic about the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder.
Savannah State, 1-10 a year ago, has needs at several positions, but running back was near the top of the list. The Tigers averaged only 82.6 rushing yards a game last season — last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and No. 115 among 121 Football Championship Subdivision teams.
Quarterback Antonio Bostick led the team in rushing, averaging 31.4 yards a game.
“(Daniels) is still trying to learn the plays, but he has great speed and quickness and has a good football IQ,” Wilson said. “Right now, he’s in the battle for a starting position. We’re excited about having him.”
A good place to be
Maybe his statistics suggest he could be playing at a bigger program, but Daniels said Savannah State fit his needs.
Academically, he’d like to pursue a degree in business administration or engineering. Socially, he has family in Savannah, and he’s a short drive from his friends in Statesboro.
And on the field, the SSU coaches wanted him. Daniels didn’t match the stats of his sophomore year at Statesboro, but he wasn’t too shabby with 1,015 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. He also caught nine passes for 136 yards.
He was initially drawn to the school by coach Steve Davenport and his staff.
Davenport and most of his assistants were fired, but Daniels didn’t waver.
“(The new coaching staff) said my scholarship was safe,” Daniels said. “I like (Wilson). He’s dedicated to this program and I’m right there with him. ... I’m going to make everything out of what I’ve got right now.”
Daniels said SSU has talent — a fact he realized very quickly.
“I saw the players they had and they’re not bad players,” Daniels said. “They just have to focus more and stop doubting themselves. We can completely change this whole thing around.”
And like a team beginning with a 0-0 record, Daniels understands he’s getting a fresh start and a chance to show he’s maturing. He struggled with maturity in high school, particularly after the stellar sophomore season.
“It was me being a little kid, starting (to experience success) at that young age,” Daniels said. “I got the big head. I had to make that transition from a little kid to a big kid.”
He’ll have a chance to show how far he’s progressed when the Tigers open the season Aug. 31 against Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.
“It’s a brand new start,” Daniels said. “I’m out there working hard, doing everything I’m supposed to do, giving it all I got. That first game is really big. When I committed (to SSU), everyone said they’d be at that game. It would be a big thing for me to be able to get on that field.”