Former USF superstar Quarterback, B.J. Daniels, has officially retired from professional football. During his storied career as a Bull, Daniels quickly became the face of the program and it wasn’t long before everyone in Tampa knew ’Super 7’. After deciding it was time to hang up his shoulder pads and helmet, Daniels’ new sideline attire will be a headset and whistle after accepting the head coaching position at his alma mater, Lincoln High School (Tallahassee, Florida).
From 2004-08, Daniels was the leader of the Trojans’ offense before signing to play for Jim Leavitt at USF. As a recruit, Daniels was rated as the 44th best Quarterback in the country, and the 8th best dual-threat Quarterback overall. Following his senior year, he was named the All-Big Bend Player of the Year by the Tallahassee Democrat in both Football and Basketball, making him the first player to earn both accolades. Daniels was also named the 2007 Tallahassee QB Club player of the year and Florida 5A first-team all-state.
As a Redshirt Freshman for the Bulls, Daniels was named to the BIG East All-Freshman Team after making an immediate impact on his team. The Tallahassee kid kicked off his 2009 campaign by leading the Bulls past the Bobby Bowden led Florida State Seminoles 17-7 in front of the crowd of 79,560 at Doak Campbell Stadium. He was also the football program’s Rookie of the Year.
During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Daniels amassed 8,433 passing yards and 52 touchdowns to go along with 2,068 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns, despite missing a handful of games. Daniels’ senior season was cut short after nine games due to a broken left leg.
Daniels was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but was released shortly thereafter. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks where he was a member of the Super Bowl 48 championship team, defeating the Denver Broncos, while serving as a backup to Russell Wilson.
Over the next 3-4 seasons, Daniels made his way on to multiple NFL Practice Squads, and even spent part of 2018 in the CFL as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He spent the majority of a season (if even that) in the AAF before the league declared bankruptcy and folded.
Daniels’ latest crack at playing professionally came in 2019 when he was drafted by the XFL’s Seattle Dragons. As a Quarterback for the Dragons, Daniels completed 19 of 33 pass attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown. Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, the XFL ended its season short and eventually decided to close its doors forever.
After quite the journey through three different professional leagues, Daniels was ready to begin his coaching career. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, “At 30, he’s the youngest to hold this title in the Big Bend.”
With his in-depth knowledge and high football IQ, Daniels knows that his age will not be a problem as the new head man for the Trojans. He shared this with the Tallahassee Democrat, “I tell everyone Sean McVay was 30 years old when he accepted the job with the L.A. Rams. He’s a great example of how age doesn’t have precedence on knowledge, attention to detail, or passion.”
Daniels will be taking over for previous Head Coach Quinn Gray, who resigned back in April to become the Quarterbacks Coach at Alcorn State University.
We wish BJ nothing but success in his young coaching career.
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