Tech adds first offensive lineman
It was a few weeks ago when New Diana offensive lineman Terry McDaniel was walking around the campus of LSU. While McDaniel described the campus and atmosphere as 'alright', he couldn't stop thinking about the Red Raiders in the back of his mind.
As he and his father got into the car at the end of their visit, McDaniel was immediately reaching for his Tech hat to put it back on his head. He knew then that he was going to be a Red Raider. It was only a matter of time.
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That time came late Saturday night when he and his parents were able to sit down and speak to head coach Mike Leach.
"We got there at 11pm," explained McDaniel. "Coach Leach had just gotten off the plane and went straight to his office. We were there till about 12:45pm. He showed me a pretty good magic trick. He told me that he felt I was a great fit for their program and that I would do well.
"Coach Leach asked me if I was ready to be a Red Raider," said McDaniel. "I said 'yes sir' and he said 'Welcome to the family.' My mom started to tear up a little bit but she's happy for me."
It was a fitting moment that capped off a special day in Lubbock for the McDaniel family.
"We got into town on Saturday around 10am and met up with Coach Dennis (Simmons) and Coach (Matt) Moore. They showed me around the campus, stadium, apartments, and academic facilities."
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound lineman claims that he already knew he was going to commit to Tech on his way into town that morning, but just wanted to check one more time and make sure he was making the right decision.
"I wanted to make sure that this was the place where I wanted to go and I had never met Coach Leach before, so I wanted to make sure that I would like him, and I did. He's a great guy."
Obviously, when the clock struck midnight on Sunday morning, McDaniel was still unable to find any kinks in his proposed future plan.
"I liked everything about it – the academics, coaching staff, facilities, and I just felt like it was me."
When asked if McDaniel felt that any future visits to other schools were needed, his answer was simple and to the point.
"No, I'm locked up. I'm not going to look anywhere else."