MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — “Blessed to receive an offer from…”

That’s how many of the recent posts from D.J. Daniel’s Twitter account have begun for a little over a month now. The cornerback gearing up for his sophomore season at Georgia Military College has received a whopping 14 offers to continue his playing career from four-year institutions, including five from schools in the Southeastern Conference. 

“I’m looking for a place that I can really call home — a school that fits me and truly needs me,” Daniel told The Union-Recorder in a Monday interview. “I want to go to a school that really gets me and can see where I came from and what I’ve been through.”

The young man from Griffin is living proof for what the GMC junior college football program provides for its student-athletes. Coming out of Spalding High School Daniel had aspirations to play football at the college level, but did not have the grades to qualify for a big program. One football season as a Bulldog and a few academic quarters later, the standout cornerback is ready for his shot. 

The whirlwind began around April 10 when Daniel received his first offer from Georgia State. The University of South Alabama, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Eastern Carolina all followed suit in the weeks that followed, but the dam really broke around the first of May. 

“When the South Carolina defensive coordinator was here and they offered him, that kind of opened up the floodgates,” GMC defensive coordinator Rob Manchester said. “For him, it’s all just happened all of a sudden. We all thought he was going to be a pretty special player and that he had a chance.”

Once the Gamecocks made their offer other SEC schools really took notice. Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida joined South Carolina in making formal scholarship offers to Daniel. GMC head coach Bert Williams and his coaching staff have sent more than 500 players on to the four-year college level, but few have received this level of attention. Manchester said size is a major reason for Daniel’s popularity. 

“It’s just so hard nowadays to find taller corners that are athletic enough to play the position,” said Manchester. “Plus he’s got real long arms and he runs well enough. We play a lot of man-to-man here, so I think that kind of helps him. A lot of coaches can see that on film. There’s a lot of good players out there, but so many coaches like the ones that come in here and recruit our guys nowadays are all looking for taller corners.”

Daniel tied for the team lead in interceptions last season with three, and was part of a Bulldog secondary that finished 2017 ranked in the top 10 in the NJCAA for picks. 

Daniel’s 6-foot, 185 pound frame makes him anything but a pushover against the bigger receivers he faces. Another of his extremely attractive features is the fact that he is on track to graduate from GMC this December, meaning he could participate in spring practice next year wherever he decides to go. Daniel admits that really getting into the recruiting process has been an adjustment. He has to be extremely careful with anything he says or posts so his golden opportunity isn’t squandered. The process continues with a few campus visits already lined up for the summer with more sure to follow. 

Even in the face of all the attention and outpouring of offers, the corner seems to have his head on straight. He wants to have his decision made before GMC’s 2018 season begins, so he can solely focus on the here and now once it arrives. Daniel has a couple specific goals pegged for his final season as a Bulldog.

“I want to lead junior college in picks, but the ultimate goal is to win a national championship ring.”

GMC wrapped up its spring practice period a couple weeks ago. The Bulldogs are busy finishing up their academic years in the classroom, and are putting in work in the weight room to prepare for the 2018 campaign.