Daniel next in line at Ely

Last season, Pompano Beach Ely High School brought home the class 5A State Championship. Four players from that squad - Teraz McCray, Tyrone Moss, Andrew Bain and Cyrim Wimbs - all took their talents to the University of Miami. Many wonder if Brandon Daniel is not too far behind.

Daniel, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive lineman, with a 4.8 40-yard dash time has the size and athleticism to be effective at end or at tackle. In the weight room he has benched over 265 pounds and sports a 360 squat. As a junior he recorded over 50 tackles and had 12 quarterback sacks. He also led the team in quarterback pressures. His efforts earned him second team All-County honors.

"The ability to get pressure on the quarterback and good leverage is what makes Daniel such a great player," Ely coach Steve Davis said. "He is an impact player and that is one of the main reasons why our defense was so good."

The Ely standout has yet to come out and say that Miami is his clear leader but in addition to having several teammates on the roster, he also has a family member that recently played for the Hurricanes,

"Yeah, my cousin Jerome McDougle played for the Canes and he is trying to talk me into going there," Daniel said.

The talented defensive lineman has reports offers from all over the nation including Miami, Pittsburgh, UF, Auburn, Toledo, Georgia Tech and Nebraska.

Daniels' top priority right now is to continue to do well in the classroom and become a full qualifier once the upcoming season is over with. That shouldn't be much of a problem. He currently carries a 2.8 GPA and is awaiting his test score from the June 7th SAT.

At this time he lists his top schools as Miami, Florida, FSU, Michigan State and NC State. Here is what he had to say about his favorites:

Miami: "What's not to like? They send players to the NFL and are one of the best team's year in and year out."

Florida: "I always liked the Gators growing up."

FSU: "I like the campus and the stadium."

Michigan State: "I have a great opportunity to go there and play right away."

N.C. State: "There coaches do a real good job of recruiting South Florida and I would like to go there on a visit."