Academics
important
It’s
a short list, but Daniel has a strict set of criteria he’s
sticking by while choosing a college. Location
is key as he wants his family to be able to see him play.
And the ability to play early will factor into his decision,
he said. But with a 3.8 GPA, Daniel said his main focus
in making the choice would be the academic offerings that
fit his goal of studying sports medicine or business management.
“Education
is first, always,” Daniel said about his criteria.
“They’re trying to find a school that has my
major.”
He
has offers from Southern Miss, Clemson, Troy, Georgia
Southern and academic standouts Vanderbilt and Stanford,
which he has already visited.
“Stanford
has a beautiful campus, and it was just a one-of-a-kind
place,” Daniel said. “Vanderbilt was nice, too,
and I really liked the big-city feel of it.”
Daniel
is a starter on the Central basketball team, where he
averaged 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists per
game on last year’s Class 6A state semifinals team.
Having the option to continue playing hoops would likely
be another factor in the final decision. It’s also
one that college coaches have been open to and one Daniel
said would hinge on applying the same work ethic he has
to splitting school and sports.
“It’s
going to be real hectic,” Daniel said about the possibility
of playing two sports in college. “All the schools
I’ve talked to about playing both said it was possible,
that they have some kids in school playing both.”
Family
support
If
Daniel ever thought he was going to fail, he said his
family set him straight.
“They
always try to make me be responsible,” Daniel said.
“They leave it up to me and give me the chance, but
if I don’t do what they expect, they push me harder.”
Like
his family, his coaches are rarely disappointed when they
push Daniel for results. He was a member of the undefeated
freshman team and put in some varsity time that season,
too. He took over starting duties in 10th grade and has
shown improvement each season.
“We
took him on really slowly as a sophomore,” Nelson
said. “He did everything we asked him to do and picked
it up pretty quick. This year we’ve wanted to see
him work on his accuracy, and he’s getting a lot
better with that.”
The
6-foot-4, 190-pound senior posted 1,200 yards rushing
and 570 yards and eight touchdowns passing for the Red
Devils last year. He is unlikely to pass last year’s
rushing totals at his current pace (86 yards in three
games), but is on track to shatter last year’s passing
mark.
Daniel
started the season as the rivals.com No. 26 dual-threat
quarterback in the nation, and he has thrown for 341 yards
out of the spread offense — more than half of his
2008 total — in the Red Devils’ 3-0 start.
“Like
I tell everyone, Darren is a student of the game,”
Nelson said. “He’s a three-year starter, and
he’s gotten better and better every year. He’s
gotten a lot better at reading defenses and understanding
coverages from that. He studies the game the same way
he studies for school.”
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