Darrion Daniels Has Some Lofty Goals Heading Into 2015

For those out of the loop, Darrion Daniels, a defensive tackle out of Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas Texas, signed with Oklahoma State back on January 30th, and was the Cowboys’ highest-rated defensive player in the 2015 class. Daniels had offers from 31 different schools, including LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma.

At the time of the signing, Daniels was candid about some of his rather profound reasons for signing with the Cowboys, telling 247Sports.com:

“People would tell me I could never go to the NFL from Oklahoma State. They said they don’t send out defensive linemen. That’s actually something I really liked about it. It’s going to help me make a name for myself. If I go a place where they say defensive linemen can’t get drafted from, I know that I will get drafted from Oklahoma State.”

Daniels chatted this past week with Brandon Chatmon of ESPN.com, and was just as candid when discussing his goals while in Stillwater, and how he viewed the Cowboys last season.

Daniels on playing with players such as Preseason All-Big 12 DL Emmanuel Ogbah:

“I think I’m going to learn a lot from them. From watching them play, the Oklahoma State defensive line is really slept on because they’re really young. It’s like they’re a young line so they aren’t going to be that good but those young boys are growing up and I think it’s going to help me when I get to their age.”

On being a leader of the defense:

” I want to be one of those dudes, when the team is down in the fourth quarter and the offense is on the field, they know for a fact they can trust in me if they don’t score. And not just me, but the entire defense, me leading the defense and doing great things.”

On watching the Bedlam game last season, and when he realized what his decision would be:

“Oklahoma State was the underdog, not many people thought they were going to win. When I watched them win that game and how hard they had to fight to win. I was like “Yeah”. I know for a fact, with or without me, they have a great future.”

Daniels is showing himself to be one of the more insightful players on the team, and he’s only just now arriving on campus. You can check out the full interview here, and get Daniels’ thoughts on championships, his strengths, and the Big 12 in general.