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4-star safety commit Mordecai McDaniel announced on Friday night that he was decommitting from Tennessee. Shortly after, he announced his commitment to rival Florida Gators.
Though I really appreciate everything that Tennessee have offered me. I must follow my heart ♥️ and with that being said ...I would like to say that I will be attending the University of Florida #GoGators pic.twitter.com/l9S1pLap2v
— Mordecai McDaniel (@HunnitBandCai) December 14, 2019
Here’s our original scouting report on McDaniel:
What’s so intriguing about McDaniel is his raw potential. If recruits were ranked solely on that, he would probably be a top-150 player. He’s 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, and has a special combination of burst and speed. He’s also tough as nails and loves to get physical. His tape is full of kick and punt returns where he simply blows past defenders that don’t anticipate how quickly he reaches top speed. When he reaches that top speed, it’s over for them.
What his tape doesn’t show is impressive clips as a safety. That’s not his fault entirely—when you’re a raw player, you simply won’t have that many examples of you dominating from a position that requires seasoning. McDaniel is often times late to a play or does not recognize what the offense is doing until they’re already at the second level. That being said, when he actually gets to the ball carrier, they stop dead in their tracks.
McDaniel originally committed to Tennessee in late August. He was an under-the-radar recruit entering the summer months, who saw his recruitment process blow up after teams got a look at his tape and testing numbers. Teams like Florida, Penn State, and of course, Tennessee began seriously pushing for his commitment. The Volunteers won out.
In the past month, Florida renewed their push for McDaniel. They obviously held his talent in high regard, and with the Gators missing out on some of their other targets, McDaniel made sense. Track and field also played a factor in this battle, and Florida has one of the best in the nation.
Tennessee now has around three spots left in the secondary. They had one spot before December started. The recent decommitment/parting of ways with cornerback Art Green also occurred early in the month.
The lone remaining defensive back committed is 4-star safety Keshawn Lawrence.