Cam McDaniel (born September 20, 1991) is a former gridiron football running back.

Cam McDaniel
No. 33, 27
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1991-09-20) September 20, 1991 (age 33)
Coppell, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Coppell (TX)
College:Notre Dame (2011–2014)
Undrafted:2015
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at CFL.ca

Early life

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McDaniel attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. In 2009, McDaniel rushed for over 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also catching 57 passes for seven touchdowns.[1] The next season, McDaniel ran for 1,906 yards and 32 touchdowns while recording 40 receptions for 492 yards and three touchdowns. He was eventually named second-team all-state running back by the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 5A team, and The Dallas Morning News named him to the all-area team's second team. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram awarded him MVP of District 7-5A.[2] With McDaniel, the Coppell Cowboys lost only total three games, and went undefeated in his senior year.[3]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Cam McDaniel
RB
Coppell, Texas Coppell High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 4.51 Nov 29, 2010 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 3   Rivals: 10
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame 2011 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  • "2011 Notre Dame Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  • "Notre Dame Fighting Irish". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.

College career

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During his junior year of high school, McDaniel was offered scholarships by eight schools: Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado, Tulsa, Stanford, Texas Tech, Minnesota and Navy.[1] In 2010, McDaniel was offered additional scholarships by Air Force, Cincinnati, Army and Louisiana Tech. On November 30, McDaniel announced his commitment to Notre Dame.[4]

Notre Dame

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ESPN stated that McDaniel was expected to serve as a slot receiver.[4] In his freshman year, McDaniel served as a backup running back and on special teams, recording nine yards on three rushing attempts, while returning two kickoffs for 24 yards. In 2012, McDaniel played both running back and cornerback, while also playing special teams. He scored his first touchdown on October 6 against Miami (FL); McDaniel also set a school record for most consecutive carries on a drive with nine. McDaniel ended the 2012 season with 125 yards rushing and a touchdown.[2]

On October 19, 2013 against the USC Trojans, McDaniel ran for a career-high 92 yards.[5] That same game, he lost his helmet during a run, and a photo taken of him with tousled hair and a "Zoolander-esque smirk" went viral as "Ridiculously Photogenic Football Player",[6] creating an Internet meme.[7] McDaniel ended the 2013 season with 705 rushing yards and three touchdowns.[8]

In his senior year, McDaniel was named a team captain.[8] He concluded the 2014 season with 278 rushing yards and four touchdowns.[9]

College statistics

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Rushing Receiving
Year Team GP/GS Att Yards Avg Long TDs Rec Yards TDs
2011 Notre Dame 8/0 3 9 3.0 12 0 0 0 0
2012 Notre Dame 13/0 23 125 5.4 19 1 2 41 0
2013 Notre Dame 13/3 152 705 4.6 36 3 6 34 0
2014 Notre Dame 77 278 3.6 23 4 9 76 0

Professional career

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2015 NFL Draft

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9 in
(1.75 m)
185 lb
(84 kg)
4.59 s 4.21 s 11.28 s 6.78 s 35 in
(0.89 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
17 reps
All values from Notre Dame's Pro Day[10]

McDaniel was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, though he attended Notre Dame's Pro Day on March 31, 2015, one of eleven players to do so.[11] McDaniel recorded a three-cone drill time of 6.78 seconds, faster than all running backs invited to the Combine,[9] and would rank fifth among running backs in the last five Combines.[12]

McDaniel was not drafted by any team in the 2015 NFL draft, but was offered a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.[13]

Canadian Football League

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McDaniel first latched on with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League for whom he played one game with in 2016. On May 11, 2017, McDaniel signed with the Toronto Argonauts, and was active for 9 games. While McDaniel did not play, he was a part of the Argos team that won the 105th Grey Cup. Overall in his professional career, McDaniel played in 10 games, recording 8 rushes for 26 yards, in addition to catching 3 passes for 44 yards.

Personal life

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McDaniel married high school sweetheart Stephani Sterrett on May 17, 2014.[6][14] McDaniel's father, Danny McDaniel, is the head football coach at Prosper High School, and with his wife Diane, are producers for AdvoCare.[15] McDaniel's grandfather and great-grandfather were also head coaches at Prosper.[1] He has two brothers, Gavin and TJ both of whom also play running back; Gavin was a member of the Washington Huskies and Azusa Pacific Cougars, while TJ plays for the SMU Mustangs.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lester, Sean (June 25, 2010). "Already with eight scholarship offers, Coppell's Cam McDaniel hard at work this summer". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Cam McDaniel Bio". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  3. ^ Farmer, Douglas (September 20, 2013). "Birthday back wants more". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Coppell RB makes commitment Notre Dame". ESPN. November 30, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  5. ^ Nessif, Bruna (October 26, 2013). "Notre Dame Football Player Goes Viral for Being "Ridiculously Photogenic"—Take a Look!". Xfinity. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Stump, Scott (October 25, 2013). "Meet man behind 'Ridiculously Photogenic Football Player' meme". Today. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "Notre Dame's 'Ridiculously Photogenic Running Back' reflects on the photo that made him a meme". October 20, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Hine, Chris (August 28, 2014). "Cam McDaniel leading the way for Notre Dame". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  9. ^ a b James, Tyler (April 1, 2015). "Former Notre Dame RB Cam McDaniel confident of shot at the NFL". ND Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ^ James, Tyler (March 31, 2015). "Testing results for Notre Dame's Pro Day". ND Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  11. ^ Terlep, Rachel (March 31, 2015). "Eleven ex-Notre Dame players participate in NFL Pro Day workouts". The Elkhart Truth. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "2015 Fighting Irish Football Pro Day Coverage". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  13. ^ Ironside, Nick (May 3, 2015). "Cowboys Give Cam McDaniel Opportunity To Earn Spot In Camp". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  14. ^ Ginocchio, Mike (November 20, 2014). "Cam McDaniel's dedication stands out on field". The Observer. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Fortuna, Matt (August 29, 2014). "McDaniel shouldering much responsibility". ESPN. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  16. ^ "TJ McDaniel". SMU Mustangs. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
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