Tennessee football: 2020 Washington, D.C. Safety Mordecai McDaniel commits to Vols

A Tennessee football recruiting secondary commit is from the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C. defensive back Mordecai McDaniel chose the Volunteers.

Given its position near I-81, Tennessee football has always been in great shape to lure recruits to Rocky Top from the DMV. On Wednesday, they got a big pickup from that region in the form of another safety.

Mordecai McDaniel, a three-star on Rivals, comes out of St. John’s College High School in the District. He is ranked a top 10 DC prospect and a top 30 player nationally at his position, despite no overall national ranking.

The 6’1″ 195-pound 2020 prospect is Tennessee football’s 15th commitment for that class and third defensive back, five if you count the two athletes. He announced his decision to head to Rocky Top on Twitter.

Before McDaniel’s commitment, the Vols were hanging on as a top 25 recruiting class. McDaniel himself is not likely to spike the class rankings too much, but he is a guy who could help give them insurance on that front.

Although UT is in pretty decent shape at defensive back, they did suffer a decommitment there a month ago, so it doesn’t hurt to add another safety. And McDaniel is a unique athlete who also can play wide receiver or kick returner.

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Tennessee football was able to get McDaniel over the Penn State Nittany Lions and Florida Gators. He is coveted for his athleticism overall, but his speed is what stands out to everybody. And he has put that on display a lot.

Using milesplit.com as a source, Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 reports that McDaniel won the District of Columbia State Athletic Association indoor track 55-meter dash championship by running it in 6.54 seconds.

So McDaniel has elite athletic talent that explains why the Vols have been pursuing him since the beginning of the year. And it explains why so many schools were targeting him despite his three-star rating. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, McDaniel is a natural playmaker. He has great vision with the ball in his hands, which will make him a deadly weapon on special teams. But he’s also willing to hit guys, which is why he’s meant to play safety, and he knows where to be on the field. In general, he is a great fit for Jeremy Pruitt’s system.

It’s clear that building an elite secondary is a major priority for Tennessee football, and despite his three-star rating, McDaniel is clearly a guy capable of helping the Vols do that. There’s a reason other top-notch programs wanted him. So he’s a great pickup for Big Orange Country.