Daniels recaps Texas A&M visit
With spring practices under way, the Texas A&M coaching staff has started to host unofficial visitors from both the 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes over the past week.
We reported on Kennedale (Texas) Rivals 100 outside linebacker Baron Browning and his visit yesterday, but another prospect from Kennedale was on campus this weekend as well - 2017 defensive tackle Gjemar Daniels.
Daniels, a class 4A All-State selection, is still waiting on his first scholarship offer. The Texas A&M coaches and a handful of other programs are beginning to show interest this spring.
"I went down to A&M on Sunday with my teammate Baron (Browning)," Daniels said. "We met Coach (Terry) Price in front of Kyle Field and went up to his office. We talked a little bit, cracked some jokes, and we actually both had the same injury to our hand in football and talked about that for a while.
"Coach Price is just a very funny guy and he has a great personality. We spent most of the day together and he showed us around the entire program, the facilities, and the stadium. Baron and I had already visited for the Alabama vs. A&M game earlier this season, but they showed us everything and even had some of the players show us around the campus."
Daniels went on to share more about the visit and tour at Texas A&M this weekend.
"We toured the facilities, the cafeteria, the snack room, and talked with some of the athletic trainers," Daniels said. "We talked with the trainers about how they work, the drills, and they showed us around the weight room. The weight room equipment all had iPads on each machine that measures how explosive your reps are.
"They took us through the locker room as well. It is very nice, it was clean, and looks brand new. It's not like a normal locker room that smells sweaty and funky either. I thought it was very neat how they had it all setup for the players."
After touring the football facilities, Coach Price introduced Daniels to some of the other Texas A&M defensive coaches.
"I also met the new defensive tackles Coach (David) Turner and he was pretty cool," Daniels said. "Coach Price introduced us and we had a conversation about the defense, what they see in my technique, and just football in general. Then we met Coach (John) Chavis and Baron went to talk with him while I stayed with Coach Price.
"That's when we spent a lot of our one on one time together during the visit. We looked at the calendar and they are wanting us to come back down for their Friday Night Lights event on April 1st. There is also another camp they are holding on campus that coach wants me to attend. I'm not sure of the date, but he told me the coaches want to watch me practice this spring and watch me work at the camp."
While meeting with Coach Price, the 6-foot, 313-pound prospect received quite a compliment when the A&M defensive line coach compared him to current Aggies' defensive tackle Daylon Mack.
"Coach Price actually introduced me to Daylon (Mack) during our tour," Daniels said. "He was there at the facility and talked with us for a little bit. I was talking with Coach Price and he compared me to Daylon. We are about the same size, but he is much bigger muscle wise right now. Coach told me that he is around 330-pounds right now, but he doesn't look like it.
"I'm 313-pounds at the moment and I asked them about my height, at 6-foot. They told me that it's not about height, it's about effort. It's just about how hard you work, how much you can improve your strength and technique."
Towards the end of the visit, Daniels and Browning were given a tour of the campus by a few of the current A&M players.
"Some of the players gave us a tour of the campus, James (Lockhart) and Justin (Dunning)," Daniels said. "We also met a few other players, but they took us around the campus. We toured the main campus, the rec center, and where all of the classes were on campus. They showed us how some classes are further away from others and some of the players have bikes or scooters for getting around on campus.
"Everybody we met on campus was very friendly too. They were waving at us and saying hello. The players also told us about some of the traditions on campus. They showed us the big tree and told us about not walking under the tree or else it's bad luck."
Currently an unrated prospect, Daniels earned the District 5-4A All-District Defensive Line MVP award and APSE Class 4A All-State Second Team honors this past season.
He is scheduled to visit Baylor, Tulsa, and Purdue later this off-season. He will also compete at the Rivals Camp in Dallas on March 19th.