If Hughson High quarterback Robert McDaniel were a Hollywood movie star, he’d have that hard-to-define quality known as “box office appeal.”

McDaniel, who led the Huskies to back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division 6 titles in his sophomore and junior seasons, is drawing heavy interest from Division I scouts.

“Before the (2023) season I had two offers,” said McDaniel, who helped Hughson to the state 5-AA state title during his sophomore campaign. “Arkansas State was the first and Toledo was about a month after that.”

Nice, but Arkansas State and Toledo are hardly football powerhouses.

But following a junior season in which he completed .595 percent of his passes for 2,839 yards with 33 touchdown passes against just four interceptions, the bigger schools took notice.

Now, with one more year to go, McDaniel already has offers from Cal, San Jose State, San Diego State, Oregon State, Washington State, Colorado State, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Temple, and Coastal Carolina.

Additionally, he’s thrown for UCLA, Michigan State, Virginia and UC Davis, though those schools have yet to make offers.

“It’s all come as a surprise,” said McDaniel, who performed at summer mega-camps — known as such because they attract scouts from all across the nation — at Cal, Stanford, San Jose State, Sacramento State, San Diego State and Houston.

At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, McDaniel doesn’t quite fit the classic quarterback profile, but he figures he’s got more growing to do.

“I think I’ll probably grow another inch or two,” said McDaniel. “My dad is 6-5 and my mom is 5-9. And my brother is 6-4.”

McDaniel is working with a nutritionist, consuming about 4,000 calories per day — chicken, rice and broccoli are his staples. He’d like to start his senior season at around 205 pounds.

“In my freshman year when I got moved up to the varsity, I weighed 130 after the last game of the season,” said McDaniel. “And then I weighed 170 last year.”

For now, he’s playing third base and pitching for Hughson High’s baseball team. He’s also been invited to the Under Armor All-American Camp March 24 in Los Angeles.

A decision on his ultimate destination won’t come until later.

“Here in the next month or so I’ll be visiting some places,” said McDaniel. “The overall atmosphere around the school and the majors they offer will help me gauge my decision. I’m just looking for a good offense that suits me, and a staff that I can build a good relationship with.”