Reviewing the Redshirts: WR DaVaris Daniels

however, ND has a plethora of young and unproven receivers going into 2012, to go along with Robbie Toma and T.J. Jones. I coming to grips with not having the safety blanket that is MF and look forward to the new blood coming in. On top of that, Tyler Eifert will be doing his thing as well.

The future is bright in the WR corps even if MF isn’t there…

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t Daniels essentially in the two-deep all year? I think he is one that will really benefit from the offseason training/conditioning/weight program. At 6’1-1/2", 200 lbs would be an ideal playing weight and he can likely get close (if not all the way there) by fall camp.

One other note that you alluded to—the discrepency in numbers reported by the services. It is interesting to see one player listed +/- and inch or two and 15 pounds from site-to-site. I am guessing that many go off of the HS programs, which are certainly inflated.

DD has an insane vertical leap of 41". Larry Fitzgerald’s is 38". Lynn Swann’s was 40".

I don’t think he saw the field this year (he may or may not have last year) because of his early injury and he wasn’t practicing until week 8 or so- he’s not super fast (I think he’s 4.5-4.6) but he is 6’4"/215 so he still has a place in this offense as a RZ threat or even in the edges….

having said all that- i think his future is not in football, but in male modeling- the dude is (no homo… well maybe a little?) gorgeous

see Farley going back to DB which is a huge position of need next year on the D? I personaly would like to see Farley as a D back and if BK moves Riddick to RB, depending if the Irish dont get what they want for RB’s in 2012, then I would like to see GAIII move to WR, who I believie could fill MF3’s spot very well.

did play some special tams before the hamstring injurie. D. Daniels was on the 2 deep and Kelly spoke of him being close to playing time aboute mid-point of the season. I think they just decided to save a year but, the decision was not made until about the SC game.

I can’t wait to see Daniels in action next year. We need him to break out in a big way right out of the gate. I hope that is exactly what happens.

Titled, Look into the Future: Offense

Daniels came to Notre Dame as one of the top ranked players in the class. Next fall the Irish will be looking to replace Michael Floyd, the school’s all-time leader in every major receiving category. No one player will be asked to fill that void, but Daniels has always been considered a player that has the ability to make that kind of early impact.

Wide receivers coach Tony Alford has always been high on Daniels. The 6-foot-2 freshman consistently pushed for playing time, and the decision to not play him was not an easy one for the Notre Dame staff.

"DaVaris is doing a great job," Alford said of his talented freshman. "The expectation is that he isn’t doing a good job because he isn’t playing. There’s no need to really yank them (Floyd, TJ Jones) off the field to put in a really green player."

"You could say he can gain some experience, but he’s practicing every day with us and he’s gaining some valuable experience with the ones and twos by practicing every day with us," he continued.

When asked about Daniels’ true potential, Alford got noticeably excited.

"He’s going to be a really good player," Alford said with an excited chuckle, trying to hide the high hopes he has for Daniels.

The transition from a small Illinois private school to major college football is not an easy one to make. That has been the case for Daniels and is a key reason he was withheld from action this fall.

"The college game is so different from the high school game when you talk about the speed of the game and the intensity you have to play this game at every single play," Alford explained. "For 84 snaps you better be flying high. When you are coming in right out of high school that’s a really different animal, the physicality of it. Not just that but the knowledge base."

"Early on in camp and early on in the season there was so much volume of stuff coming at him," he continued. "The adjustments and read this coverage and read this leverage of a guy and then they, you better know what the down and distance is and then you gotta get lined up. I don’t want you two yards outside the hash I want you three yards outside the hash. Just little nuances like that take some time."

Alford has been impressed with the progress Daniels has made throughout the season when it comes to the fundamental and mental parts of the game. But nothing excites Alford more than Daniels’ physical tools as a wide receiver. Daniels, he believes, has the potential to be a standout for the Irish, and his time could come sooner rather than later.

"The one thing he does bring is he’s athletic and he can go up and get balls and he’s got some really good skills," Alford said, gushing about his talented freshman. "He’s got some really good skills, I’m excited for him."

"There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to be a really good player here."

Daniels came to Notre Dame with the expectation of getting on the field early and making an impact. That did not happen for him this season, and Alford has had to continue to encourage Daniels and keep him encouraged.

"He may not believe this, and most young guys when they come in they think they want to play right now," Alford said. "The guy to ask is Cierre Wood. I remember when Cierre Wood got here and I was coaching running backs, he was hot, he was fit to be tied about not getting to play. I said this thing will go very, very quickly, here we are now and the season is about done."

"We look at and say you have got to get yourself prepared for next season, but we don’t talk in terms of next season as in August," explained the Irish receivers coach. "When we talk next season we are talking about the bowl season, so you’re a couple weeks away from really jump starting into the next season, the next phase."

"It’s a learning process, you can see the growth," Alford continued. "There’s been astronomical growth in how he plays and how he carries himself."

Getting a chance to go against Robert Blanton, Gary Gray, and Harrison Smith on a daily basis has been a blessing for Daniels.

"He’s playing against some pretty good players," Alford said. "When Robert Blanton puts his hands on you he’s put his hands on you. To have to get off of press coverage with that guy and separate, and you’ve got guys like Harrison Smith buzzing by you, he’s playing against great players and it’s only going to benefit him."

One thing Notre Dame coaches have mentioned in past conversations about Daniels is his penchant for making acrobatic catches that few, if any, players on the roster can make. Daniels will be given an opportunity during the bowl season, winter conditioning periods, and spring practices to compete for a starting role.