Daniel impresses on ESPN2

Chase Daniel didn’t have to wait until college to make it on ESPN. Instead, he got that honor last Thursday, when his 7-0 Southlake (Texas) Carroll High team beat Denton Ryan in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.

“I got to see the broadcast afterwards,” Daniel said. “It looked pretty good. It looked like a real college game.”

Although he has committed to Missouri, Daniel said it hasn’t kept other schools from being interested in him. National attention for Southlake Carroll has spread some of the spotlight to him, and one of the major Texas programs, in particular, seems to be making a strong push.

“A&M has offered me and they want me to come up and do an official visit, and Texas has gotten more interested, too,” Daniel said. “But I’m solid Missouri through and through. They’ve been there since the start.”

Loyalty was a big factor in Daniel’s decision, and he claims that he will repay the trust shown by the Missouri coaches on national signing day this spring.

“The fact that Missouri was there the whole time, that they showed faith in me and they were the first ones who offered me, that’s the biggest factor in why I’m solid there,” he said. “The fact that coach [Missouri head coach Gary] Pinkel and his staff are so good with recruiting and loyal to their players is a big factor why they’re an up-and-coming program.”

Daniel said that he doesn’t plan on an official visit to College Station, but added that you can never count out any possibilities.

“I really don’t think I will take a visit to A&M,” he said. “Things can obviously change, but I’m solid to Missouri.”

An Elite 11 selection, Daniel was the Texas 5A offensive player of the year as a junior, when he was also an all-region and all-district pick. He passed for 3,681 yards and 42 touchdowns, and added 18 scores and 1,529 yards on the ground.