Hughson quarterback McDaniel flips commitment to UCLA in signing day stunner
One of the biggest quarterback recruits in Northern California made waves Thursday night as Hughson High’s Robert McDaniel flipped his commitment from Arizona to UCLA at his signing day ceremony.
McDaniel, who has a 3-star player rating and a 4-star player composite rating by 247 Sports, shocked everyone when he chose the Bruins after he originally committed to the Wildcats in the summer.
McDaniel is the most decorated quarterback to play at Hughson. As of Thursday, he has played in 43 varsity games and led the Huskies to three straight Sac-Joaquin Section titles, a CIF Northern California title and a CIF state title. Over his career, he has thrown for 7,767 yards and 95 touchdowns and has 461 rushing yards and five scores. He has completed 60% of his passes and has 8,228 all-purpose yards.
When he committed to Arizona, McDaniel told The Bee his relationship with then-Arizona offensive coordinator Dino Babers and the coaching staff that recruited him while they were at San Jose State were key in him picking the Wildcats. This season, Arizona went 4-8 and on Thursday morning, it was reported by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports that Babers would not be returning as OC.
McDaniel said Thursday that his relationship with new UCLA offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri played a part in his flip. The two built a connection during the recruiting process at Indiana University, one of at least 20 schools that made offeres to McDaniel. Zach Osterman of the IndyStar reported Thursday morning that Sunseri would be leaving Indiana after the College Football Playoff to take the job as the offensive coordinator at UCLA. The star QB said he made his decision to commit Thursday.
“Coach Tino just got the job, and the confidence he showed in me really makes me confident,” McDaniel said. “(It) really makes me confident with the guys he’s brought to the NFL. I’m ready to get out to Westwood.”
Sunseri worked with Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones during his time as a graduate assistant with the University of Alabama. This season at Indiana, Sunseri has helped lead the Hoosiers to an 11-1 overall record under head coach Curt Cignetti.
McDaniel committed and signed on the second day of the football early signing period (Dec 4-6). After the high school football season ends, he will finish up his final high school classes and enroll at UCLA early, joining the Bruins this winter.
“I’m ready to be like a sponge, soak everything up, make sure I get in that weight room to get to that college body and get into a college playbook,” he said
McDaniel was set to sign with Arizona on Wednesday when the early signing window opened, but as the chaos of the day unfolded, he called off the ceremony about an hour before the scheduled 2:30 p.m. start. UCLA had always been a dream school for McDaniel and during his junior season, he worked out for a coach on the Hughson football field, but the offer never came until recently.
As of Thursday, the four-year varsity quarterback was one of about 18 recruits the Bruins inked during the football early signing period. He is one of two quarterbacks and is the only quarterback from California.
McDaniel has drawn interest since his junior season but his recruitment exploded after he attended the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp this summer. He earned the invite as a late addition and made the final 11, impressing scouts and coaches in attendance.
He can now fully shift his focus to Friday night, when he and other four-year starters Max Mankins, an Air Force commit, and Malakai Sumter hope to lead Hughson High to their second NorCal championship in three seasons.
“Everything’s done, everything’s sealed, I’m ready to go play,” he said. “I’m ready to go out there with my guys, the last home game ever for the seniors and I’m ready to end it with a bang.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 8:04 AM.
