Freshman wide receiver for Sacramento State. 2026: 17 catches, 176 receiving yards, 1 TD.
6′0″ · 185 lb · Hitchcock, TX
The numbers
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 4 rec, 25 yds, 1 TD, vs Texas Southern
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Freshman wide receiver for Sacramento State. 2026: 17 catches, 176 receiving yards, 1 TD.
Damien McDaniel
Moves the chains on third down. Damien McDaniel arrived at Sacramento State from UNLV. The receipt: 80 rec yds, 6 receptions against Stephen F. Austin — Week 3, 2026.
176 REC YDS · 17 REC · 1 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sacramento State | 17 | 176 | 10.4 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 17 | 176 | 10.4 | 1 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sacramento State | -- | -- | -- | 7 | -- |
| Career | -- | -- | -- | 7 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 30-49@ Tarleton State | 4 | 75 | 18.8 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 1 | W 52-14vs Texas Southern | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 1 | 24 | |
| Wk 2 | L 3-44@ Baylor | 3 | -4 | -1.3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-31vs Stephen F. Austin | 6 | 80 | 13.3 | 0 | 42 | Season-high 80 yds |
| Total | 17 | 176 | 9.3 | 1 | 42 |
Since week 2: +80 receiving yards, +6 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: yards / catch (22nd percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.0 | 52.5 | 9.8 | 0.5 |
| Road2g | 3.5 | 35.5 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 4.2 | 44.0 | 9.3 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alonzo Carter
Pass share
56.1%
147 pass / 115 run
Plays / game
65.5
4 games
Team sack rate
1.2%
161 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,359 recruit in the country is starting at receiver in the Mid-American as a freshman.
Player DNA
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Deon-Tay McManus’s 2016 season.
Matches Deon-Tay on
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Dylan Lord’s path through Illinois State.
Matches Dylan on
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Brian Rowe Jr.'s freshman season at South Carolina (2025).
Matches Brian on
Differs from Brian on
16 more on the roster · Sacramento State team page