The first time DaVaris Daniels touched a football as a high school player he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.
His first catch in high school was for a touchdown, his first rushing play ended up in the end zone.
“Being able to do that kind of set the tone for what I wanted to do in my life,” the Calgary Stampeders’ wide receiver said with a smile. “It was a good time for me.”
Being part of the explosive Calgary offence has allowed the 23-year-old from Vernon Hills, IL. to rekindle some of those good times. In his first season he started 11 games, making 51 passes for 885 yards and nine touchdowns to earn the West’s nominee as the CFL’s top rookie.
He was part of a Calgary team that won 16 of 19 games. The Stampeders are looking for one more win when they play the Ottawa REDBLACKS Sunday in the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.
At six-foot-one and 207 pounds, the lanky Daniels has the size to reach over defensive backs. He runs crisp routes and has the ability to make clean breaks that can leave a defender guarding air.
During the regular season Daniels had five or more catches in six games. He had over 100 yards four times.
Daniels had four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in Calgary’s 42-15 win over the B.C. Lions in last week’s West Final.
“He knows all the details in the entire game plan. It makes it easier to trust the guy when you know he can do that”
– Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell on WR DaVaris Daniels
On the scoring play, Daniels started down field, stopped dead, then blew past the defender. He hauled in a pass and rambled 76 yards to the end zone.
“I think I’m kind of deceptive,” said Daniels. “I have long strides. People kind of sleep on my speed a little bit.
“My route running is pretty good. I just kind of hone in on those details and kind of use them to my advantage. A lot of people kind of under estimate my speed and it helps me out a lot.”
Daniels’ father Phillip played defensive end for 15 seasons in the NFL with Seattle, Chicago and Washington. From a young age it seemed pretty obvious Daniels would follow in his father’s footsteps and be a professional football player.
What first looked like a highway to success sometimes veered off onto a gravel road full of potholes.
He attended Notre Dame and made six catches for a career-high 115 yards in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama.
In 2015 Daniels ran into academic issues. He decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.
Daniels wasn’t drafted but signed with the Minnesota Vikings as free agent. He also had stints with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles before signing with Calgary this year.
Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell remembers being somewhat skeptical about Daniels when training camp opened.
“You kind of start to put guys in question who is going to be there and who is not,” said Mitchell.
That changed during an inter-squad game. Mitchell remembers a play where he scrambled out of the pocket and threw a pass across his body.
“It wasn’t a good ball,” he said. “The way he stopped, reacted, drove and caught the ball, you knew this kid has got something.
“It was going to take a while for the mental game to get there . . . but when you watched the guy he is a true professional.”
Daniels said not being drafted, and then being released by several teams, strengthened his resolve to prove people wrong.
“I think about it every day,” he said. “Early on I thought about it more than I do now.
“Now I’m comfortable being a football player again. Having people doubt you like that is something you don’t take lightly. I carry that with me still to this day. I just want to prove people wrong.”
The emergence of Daniels was an antidote to any pain felt from the departure of receiver Eric Rogers.
In 2015 Rogers had a CFL-leading 1,448 yards from 87 catches and scored 10 touchdowns. He signed with the NFL San Francisco 49ers in January but tore up the ACL in his left knee less than a week into training camp.
“I remember Bo talking about at the beginning of the season how everyone was doubting us,” said Daniels. “That’s something I kind of took to heart. Just to be doubted kind of fuels your fire a little bit.
“Once I got in there, I just wanted to take advantage of my opportunities.”
Mitchell has been impressed with the maturity Daniels has shown at a young age.
“He spends time in the play book,” said Mitchell. “He’s not a guy you constantly have to stay on as far as details.
“He knows all the details in the entire game plan. It makes it easier to trust the guy when you know he can do that. When you trust a guy it’s easy to give him the ball. I think that’s a big thing for DaVaris. He understands the CFL game.”
When Daniels started his football journey he had no idea he would end up in Calgary, playing for a championship in his first professional season.
“Early on I was happy to be back on the field,” he said. “Then I realized I am a football player and that is what I do.
“I kind of started making plays and one thing led to another. Now we are here.”
