Commitment surprise! Four-star defender picks Gamecocks over home state Georgia

Will Muschamp went into the state of Georgia and snatched a four-star defender away from his alma mater.

Georgia Military College cornerback D.J. Daniel, who is from Griffin, Georgia, picked the Gamecocks over his homestate Georgia Bulldogs, an upset based on the recruiting experts’ predictions. Daniel also had the Kentucky Wildcats as a finalist.

“I didn’t want to just go where everybody else wanted me to go,” Daniel said Thursday. “I wanted to go where I wanted to go. I wanted to do something different.”

He also has offers from Alabama and Auburn. Before he committed, 10 recruiting experts had predicted he’d end up with the Bulldogs. USC was his first FBS offer.

“I feel like I chose South Carolina because God gave me a sign,” he said. “He has been with me each step in my life and I’m sure He will be in the future.”

Daniel is the No. 12 junior college player in the country, according to 247Sports, and the No. 3 corner. He’s 6-foot, 180 pounds.

Daniel said he had not made his final decision until Thursday and that USC defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson was the first to know. Daniel called Robinson 20 minutes before his 2 p.m. news conference at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga.

Before the announcement, his mother and other family members said they did not know where he was going.

The Gamecocks have one of his former teammates on the roster in defensive tackle Jabari Ellis. Daniel will graduate in December and have two years of eligibility with the Gamecocks.

He’s the 17th member of a class that could top out at 22. USC will get a decision from Westwood High School four-star corner Cam Smith on Friday.

“D.J. has done everything we asked him to do,” GMC coach Bert Williams said. “This is one more step in a long and successful process for him.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 2:00 PM.