Daniels' NFL Experience Helps Grab Players Attention
By Joey Johnston, Special to USF Athletics
B.J. Daniels — certified USF football legend, veteran of three Super Bowls and new Bulls coaching-staff addition — was jarred to his senses the other day.
"My first day on campus, one of the players told me, 'I used to play with you as my quarterback on video games,' '' said Daniels, 31, with a laugh. "That made me blush a little bit. To them, I'm old. I guess it has been a while.''
To kids, maybe it's ancient history. But it's still USF football history — the moments that won't be forgotten, the accomplishments that still resonate.
Daniels, hired by Coach Jeff Scott as a quality control analyst with a special emphasis on quarterback play, accounted for 10,501 total yards and 77 total touchdowns during his USF career from 2009-12.
He's best remembered for engineering a 17-7 road upset in 2009 against Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles — as a Tallahassee native, no less — as a first-time freshman starter, one week after Matt Grothe suffered a season-ending injury.
Daniels also won 21 games as a quarterback starter, including two bowl victories. One of them was the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl against Clemson, when Scott was on the Tiger staff.
"B.J. really impressed me with the way he played that day and I have followed him ever since,'' Scott said. "That turned out to be a defining moment at Clemson and the program made great gains after that. I never forgot B.J. and I've seen him progress at the professional level.
"When we had this staff opening, he was my first call. It's great to have a former USF player of his stature on our staff. He's so well-respected with the way he has carried himself. He's very intelligent. He communicates so well. He has a bright future in coaching.''
Daniels, who played in four professional leagues (six NFL teams, the Canadian Football League, the Alliance of American Football and the XFL), said it was his long-term goal to return to USF. He spent last season as head coach of Tallahassee Lincoln High School, his alma mater, which he led to a 6-2 mark.
He didn't hesitate once the USF opening emerged, but felt bad to leave Lincoln after just one season.
"I wasn't nervous when USF played FSU in Tallahassee when I was a freshman, but I was very nervous to tell my (Lincoln) players that I was leaving,'' Daniels said. "I felt like I was letting down a room full of great young men who looked up to me. But I couldn't say no to USF. Everybody understood.
"The fact that I'm back, maybe it means something to any individual I might have touched during my time here. I always wanted to be a positive influence, on the field or in the community. I did whatever was asked to the best of my ability. Tampa was always my second home. When I get old and fat one day, I want to do it right here in Tampa. USF is my school.''
No one forgot their encounters with B.J. Daniels.
He was passionate, loyal, thoughtful, playful at times, but always the perfect leader and spokesman for his school and team.
Daniels' USF career ended abruptly when he suffered a broken ankle in the ninth game of his senior season. He was a seventh-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and joined their practice squad, but the Seattle Seahawks signed him to the active roster. He twice went to the Super Bowl with Seattle, capturing one championship. He was also with the Atlanta Falcons when they reached the Super Bowl.
"The two we lost (with the Seahawks and Falcons) were both to the Patriots, so I need to contact Tom Brady because he owes me two rings,'' Daniels said. "Seriously, I was fortunate to have those kinds of experiences.''
USF football players can now benefit from Daniels' football life.
"My frame of reference is so broad, I can grab their attention fast,'' Daniels said. "I can name drop. I can say, 'Here's what Russell (Wilson) did as he prepared for the Super Bowl, how he went through his reads and progressions and did X, Y and Z. This is what he did to become successful.' I can give them the right tools. I had to mimic Russell. Not only did I see it. I lived it and experienced it.
"As a player, you went to meetings, of course, but you couldn't wait to get out on the field. Now as I go through the meetings as a coach, it's all about finding ways for our players to be successful. You encourage them to work hard, lift weights, run their sprints, learn their details because you know how it can help them elevate themselves in this game.''
Daniels said he ultimately wants to move up the coaching ranks, perhaps shooting for a head-coaching job one day. For now, though, he's excited about helping the Bulls progress into winning form.
"Here's a coach who has been in the shoes of our student-athletes, at the same school, and he has been to the places where they want to go,'' Scott said. "B.J. will be an invaluable resource for our school, our campus, our program and our community.''
