Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-38@ Arizona | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 0 | 14 | Season-high 56 yds |
| Total | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 0 | 14 |
#25
TJ McDaniel
Sophomore running back for SMU. 2022: 208 rushing yards, 4 rushing TD, 8 catches.
6′0″ · 197 lb · Southlake, TX
CFB Index 38 · #233 of 317 RBsHigh confidenceSMU 2022 alumnus
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
ATH recruit
No. 1049 nationally · Signed with Southlake Carroll
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 running back for SMU. 2022: 208 rushing yards, 4 rushing TD, 8 catches.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Southlake Carroll in 2019.
- Transferred from SMU to Northern Arizona in 2023.
TJ McDaniel
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. TJ McDaniel has played for two head coaches in three seasons at SMU. One game to point at: 56 rush yds, 10 rec yds against Arizona — Week 1, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
How it ended
Three seasons at SMU, 741 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20197 games
- Recruited3-star out of Southlake Carroll
2023
The snaps went the other way.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
SMU
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2019–2022
2 coaches2019–2020
SMU
Coaching transition mid-career: Sonny Dykes → Rhett Lashlee. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2023 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2019SMU10-3HC: Sonny Dykes · Balanced, fast tempo
2020SMU7-3HC: Sonny Dykes · Balanced
2022SMU7-6HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced, fast tempo
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 56.0 YDS/g, 4.0 YPC, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Back
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
RB
His 2022 production profile sits closest to Kyren Williams’s 2021 season.
52%match
NFL Rd 5
Matches Kyren on
Yards / carry
Differs from Kyren on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (lower)
Rush TD rate (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Andrew Body’s path through Alabama State.
Andrew Body
99%match
#2
Narii Gaither
94%
Matches Andrew on
Yards per carry
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Christian Anderson's junior season at Army (2021).
64%match
Matches Christian on
Height
Differs from Christian on
Class year (lower)
Recruiting rating (higher)
Total rush EPA (college ability) (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like TJ McDaniel
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology