Minnesota adds size and versatility in OL Phillip Daniels
Minnesota added another piece to their future offensive line on Wednesday morning when Cincinnati (OH) native Phillip Daniels announced his commitment to the Gophers.
The 2023 offensive lineman committed to the program just days after decommitting from the Pittsburgh Panthers. Daniels originally committed to the Panthers in early July before opening his commitment back up on Tuesday. From that moment on, it became clear quickly that the Gophers were back in the mix for Daniels and the likely favorite.
What Daniels brings to the Gophers:
Daniels is an intriguing prospect for the Gophers on the offensive line and is a big get for nothing but his versatility alone. With his 6-foot-5 frame, he has the size to play really any position on the offensive line. His light footwork and quickness would allow him to play center and guard as well while if they chose for him to be a tackle, he would just need to add more weight to his frame.
Let's take a look at his HUDL tape above. The first thing you'll notice about Daniels is his quickness to the point of attack and his overall strength. He's quick out of his stance and has a quick punch to the point of attack, if you're not ready for him, he'll knock you down right away. That quickness translates well to his ability to pull, showing a great job of consistently getting to the next level on those pulls and set blocks.
He shows good strength and will only get stronger as he gets into the Gophers' strength and conditioning program. He didn't need to go up against many big defensive linemen so that should be remembered but nonetheless, strength should not be an issue for him as he moves to the college level.
If the Gophers want to take advantage of his skillset the most, the guard position would be best for Daniels at the collegiate level. But once again, thanks to his size, if they needed to, he could make the move to tackle rather easily. That size also translates well to his length and wingspan which if he plays tackle will only help him as well.
How he fits in with the rest of the Gophers' 2023 offensive linemen:
Daniels joins De'Ric Mister, Greg Johnson, Jerome Williams, and Reese Tripp as part of the Gophers' 2023 recruiting class on the offensive line. Thanks to their elite size both Mister and Tripp will be offensive tackles for the Gophers at the next level while Williams, on the other hand, seems best suited for center, Johnson will likely be a guard. With that, the Gophers theoretically have recruited themselves a full-starting offensive line in the 2023 recruiting cycle. Will it develop that way over time? Only time will tell.
That being said, now with Daniels in the fold, the Gophers now hold 18 total commitments in their 2023 recruiting class with about two-and-half weeks left until the early signing period. With his commitment, the Gophers are most likely done taking offensvie linemen from the high school level but taking an immediate impact transfer portal prospect is still very much in the cards for the Gophers.
They'll need to replace see the departure of starters John Michael Schmitz, Alex Ruschmeyer, and Chuck Filiaga at the very least this offseason on the offensive line. With that, finding a player who can make an instant impact on the offensive line next season for the Gophers out of the portal will likely be a priority for P.J. Fleck and his staff.
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