Kendal Daniels Announces 2024 Return with ‘Tombstone’ Clip

TRANSER PORTAL TRACKER

The Cowboys are returning their All-American tailback, their quarterback, their leading wide receiver, their leader in sacks — and now, their stud safety.

Kendal Daniels hinted at an Oklahoma State return Friday morning by quoting his return announcement from last season with a Doc Holliday clip from the movie “Tombstone.”

https://t.co/1NuwssXGHz pic.twitter.com/mZalfzGGos

— Kendal Daniels (@KendalDaniels__) January 5, 2024

“We started the game we never got to finish,” Holliday said. “Play for blood, remember?”

Playing the rover spot in Bryan Nardo’s newly implemented 3-3-5 defense, Daniels was one of three OSU players with 100 tackles this past season, wracking up 105 in his second season as a starter. Listed as a 6-foot-4, 213-pound redshirt sophomore in 2023, Daniels had 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

His best game of the year probably came against West Virginia, when Daniels recorded 11 tackles and had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He also had double-digit tackles against UCF and Iowa State. His interceptions came in OSU’s win against Kansas, and he iced the Texas Bowl with a pick against the Aggies.

Daniels was a high-level prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. Listed as the No. 47 player in the class by 247Sports, Daniels initially signed with Texas A&M before getting out of that letter of intent and making it to Stillwater. Out of Beggs High School, he also had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and others.

Daniels took a redshirt in OSU’s Fiesta Bowl-winning 2021 season, but he did play in the Fiesta Bowl, and against Kansas and TCU that year.

He stepped into the starting lineup in 2022, recording 71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble last season.

So Daniels joins Ollie Gordon, Alan Bowman, Brennan Presley, Collin Oliver, an entire offensive line and more to announce returns to Oklahoma State for 2024. Daniels heads a safety room that returns a host of young talent. Cameron Epps broke out with three interceptions in his redshirt-freshman season, and the Pokes were without Lyrik Rawls for much of their 10-4 2023 season because of injury. OSU also added to its safety ranks through the transfer portal with the addition of UTEP’s Kobe Hylton.

Oklahoma State is going to have some high expectations in the first year of a 16-team Big 12 and a 12-team College Football Playoff. Should the Cowboys repeat success of last season (minus the wacky start to the year), they are building a solid case to win the Big 12 and have a shot at the Playoff.