Born in Clovis to parents who both attended Fresno State, Bryce McDaniel and his siblings spent many fall weekends at Bulldog Stadium, better known these days as Valley Children’s Stadium. Watching games from the bleachers, McDaniel would imagine himself suiting up for his hometown team and making highlight-reel plays on Jim Sweeney Field. When his family moved from Fresno to Hughson when he was in the third grade, the dream never faded.
On Wednesday afternoon, as prep football players from across the country made their college commitments official, McDaniel was joined by family and friends at Hughson High School’s Reeder Hall to sign his National Letter of Intent to make his Fresno State football dreams a reality.
A standout wide receiver for the Huskies over the past four years, McDaniel’s signing with the Bulldogs this week came nearly six months after verbally committing to the program.
“Since I was young, since living there early on in my life, Fresno State was always one of my top schools,” McDaniel said. “It feels good that I finally signed the papers and it's official now.”
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound McDaniel was recruited as a tight end despite being one of the most decorated wide receivers in Hughson High history. In 38 career varsity games for the Huskies, McDaniel caught 105 passes for 1,679 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Per 247 Sports, McDaniel is a three-star recruit at the tight end position.
McDaniel explained that, when the recruitment process first began, he asked coaches which position they preferred him at or where they thought he’d make the biggest impact at the college level. Tight end was the overwhelming answer. With that in mind, he began giving stronger consideration to programs that tend to use tight ends at higher rates. It just so happened that Fresno State, along with the atmosphere he grew to cherish over the years and the camaraderie they showed him on his visits, offered him the opportunity.
It was the cherry on top.
“The offensive coordinator (Josh Davis), when we were talking, he mentioned how he likes a lot of tight ends on the field, 13 personnel with three tight ends,” McDaniel said. “I told myself, 'Well, if I'm going to play tight end, this is the best opportunity for me to get on the field.'”
Fresno State officially offered a full scholarship to McDaniel on June 7 following a 7-on-7 showcase.
“When they offered, I had a good feeling they were going to be the one,” he said. “After I took an unofficial visit, meeting with the coaching staff, seeing the facilities, it just made me fall in love with the school even more.”
McDaniel received offers from three other Division I FBS programs: Washington State, New Mexico State and San Jose State, where older brother Robert currently plays at quarterback.
Like Robert did last year when he signed with UCLA prior to his late transfer to SJSU, McDaniel will graduate a semester early later this month and enroll early at Fresno State to begin acclimating with the coaching staff and future teammates, the playbook and get a head start on the strength and conditioning programs.
According to Jackson Moore of 247 Sports, McDaniel is one of 11 commitments that will enroll at Fresno State early and participate in spring camp — the most in program history.
In its first season under head coach Matt Entz, Fresno State is 8-4 overall with a 5-3 record in the Mountain West Conference, finishing in fifth place though they are bowl-eligible. Next season will be the program’s first in a revitalized Pac-12 Conference.
McDaniel be the second Husky to hop on the Fresno State roster, as he will join freshman wideout and former teammate Malakai Sumter.
“I can’t wait to get over there in January and finally get to work,” McDaniel said. “All the hard work is paying off. I'm excited to represent Hughson and show everybody here what I can do on the field in Fresno.”
