When the Bishop Gorman football team needed help at the wide receiver position, the Gaels looked to their loaded defensive backs room for assistance.
UNLV commit Azavier McDaniel starts on Gorman’s stellar secondary with multiple Division I commits and college prospects. But in the last few weeks, the three-star college recruit has seen more snaps on the offensive side of the ball.
McDaniel made the move to wide receiver in Gorman’s last two games and will play both offense and defense when the Gaels, ranked No. 8 nationally by MaxPreps, play at No. 13 Mater Dei (California) at 7 p.m. Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.
“It was definitely a smooth transition, I would say, because the coaches give you a lot of confidence,” McDaniel said. “They know I’m newer to it, but they’re encouraging and telling me what I need to do and my teammates as well, they’re out there helping me on the field.”
McDaniel, listed at 5-foot-10-inches and 180 pounds, made his debut at wide receiver in Gorman’s loss to Christopher Columbus (Florida) on Aug. 29. But against Lone Peak (Utah) on Sept. 4, McDaniel showcased his skills with a 33-yard touchdown catch.
“He’s a dynamic player,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “He can start both ways, and he’s going to play a little bit of both (against Mater Dei).
“Instead of having to run out there and tell him what to do, he’s practiced (at wide receiver) the last couple of weeks, so that helps him a lot dialing him in and getting some cohesiveness with the quarterback.”
‘Speed is pretty scary’
McDaniel started this year at defensive back alongside Oregon commit Hayden Stepp, Cal commit Kamil Loud and four-star sophomore Brayley Manning. McDaniel returned an interception for a touchdown in Gorman’s 41-0 season-opening win against Losee.
But after Gavin Honore transferred back to Mater Dei and while four-star Zyren Menor was unavailable against Columbus and Lone Peak, McDaniel was called to play wide receiver. Gorman quarterback Ace Amina said McDaniel picked up the offensive playbook quickly.
“He could do almost every position on the field,” Amina said. “The good thing is if we put him somewhere, he gives it 100 percent in everything he does. He’s one of the fastest guys on the team. … his speed is pretty scary, so that’s a good thing for us.”
Track state champion
Last year as a junior, McDaniel appeared in seven games for Gorman and recorded 18 tackles. McDaniel has played defensive back at Gorman but played wide receiver in youth ball and offseason 7-on-7 events.
McDaniel made a splash this spring when he won individual 5A track and field state championships in the 100-meter dash (11.11 seconds) and long jump (23-3), and was a Nevada Preps first-team All-Southern Nevada selection.
McDaniel said track has helped his 40-yard time drop by nearly two-tenths of a second.
“Track helped me a lot, especially with my explosiveness and learning how to run too,” McDaniel said. “I didn’t know how to have a good run form, but now I know how to run and it helps with change of direction and tempo and stuff like that.”
As does McDaniel’s knowledge as a defensive back to pick up what type of defense he’s facing when he lines up at receiver.
“I can see and read tendencies (of a defensive back) a little bit easier,” McDaniel said. “If the corner is looking at me, he’s most likely going to play man-to-man and if he’s looking at the quarterback, they’re most likely in some type of zone.
“Things like that are things you can pick up on pretty easy as a defensive back and it makes watching film a lot easier because you can decipher what people are trying to do.”
Staying home
McDaniel committed to UNLV in June, choosing the Rebels over other notable schools such as Oregon State, Utah State, New Mexico and Hawaii. McDaniel attended several camps at UNLV that featured many local football players and stood out, which helped him develop a relationship with coach Dan Mullen and staff.
“UNLV was one of my earlier offers, but being from Vegas, it made it a lot easier,” McDaniel said. “I’ve been up there a couple of times to camp and I already had a relationship before the offer with the coaches, so it made everything really smooth.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Up next
Who: No. 8 Bishop Gorman (3-1) at No. 13 Mater Dei (California) (4-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Santa Ana Stadium, Santa Ana, California
Stream: NFHS Network
All-time series: Mater Dei 5-0
