M.J. Daniels carries on All-American Bowl legacy at George County High

How is it that something seemingly so rare is almost becoming an annual tradition at George County High School?

For the fourth time in the football program’s history and the second year in a row, Lucedale is home to an All-American Bowl jersey recipient: McKinnley Jackson in 2019 and M.J. Daniels in 2020.

“I mean just being from the outside looking in last year, I’d never seen myself in this position. I mean I knew I was good, but not this good to be recognized as one of the top players in the country. I mean it’s just a blessing, man.”

From chasing a dream since he was four-years-old to a 4.4 40-yard dash to four star recruit to one of just four football All-Americans in the history of George County High School, M.J. Daniels has come along way. Head Coach James Ray said, “I mean you saw the raw talent as an eighth grader. He was doing really good special things. He could catch the ball. He could go over guys. But he would also trip over his feet.”

You could say the rest is history which is pretty fitting considering the history he’s now part of, joining former Rebel All-American Eric Moulds, Alonzo Lawrence, and McKinnley Jackson. “I grew up watching these people, seven years old, coming to these games watching Alonzo, Co-Eric, McKinnley – we’ve gotten the chance to play together since we were younger – and to have my name called beside theirs, man, it’s a blessing. It’s kind of like growing up being a childhood superhero.”

As the highest rated recruit from the Gulf Coast, according to 24/7 Sports, Daniels and his 11 division I offers had to grow up fast.

The former Ole Miss commit has since given his verbal pledge to Mississippi State, to which he has family ties, but the man of the hour is still taking calls. “It’s still kind of tough. You’ve got schools still trying to reach out to you at the last minute, being on you, trying to pressure you into a decision. But I’m just trying to stay calm and stick to my decision. But anything can happen within a couple months.”

Daniels knows first-hand how quickly things can change, having lost two out of the last three games of his senior season due to COVID-19.

Even before that, George County’s entire starting offensive line was quarantined in a loss to Pearl, proving how strong of a leader he truly is. Coach Ray said, “We were used to rushing for over 400 yards a game, and we had -8 yards rushing in that game. And I never once heard M.J. get onto one of those offensive linemen, always heard him encouraging those guys and pushing them to get better and telling them, y’all just give me a chance, we’ll make this happen. The whole night. And he didn’t have to do that because him and Trent were getting their brains beat out before they could even get the ball, so I saw that stuff in M.J. all year.”

“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we played our hearts out. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

In typical 2020 fashion, this year’s All-American Bowl has actually been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving Daniels with only a jersey as the rest of the world’s map to Lucedale. “Probably later on the week it’s going to come to me. Only a select few players get it, and right here in George County – nobody knows where this is – I mean it’s the middle of nowhere. But to be recognized like this, man, I love it, man.”

Daniels still has one more high school game of the schedule as one of five Coast players chosen to play in this year’s Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic.