Daniels remained in state for college, attending the University of South Florida, where he began working his way up the record books. He left USF second in total offense with 10,501 yards, tied for second in passing touchdowns with 52 and first in rushing touchdowns with 25, which is obviously good, but was a letdown for Daniels.

“I was on my way to being an all-time leader in yards in USF history,” he said. “It just so happened that the guy in front of me named Matt Grothe, not only was he the all-time leader in the school, he was the all-time leader in the entire Big East Conference. He was ahead of guys like Pat White from West Virginia, Ken Dorsey from Miami and Donavan McNabb was also on the list.

"So, I was on my way to trying to break that, I get to my senior year and I break my ankle and end up missing my last three games. I remember crying and being so upset that I never thought I would have an opportunity to reach my goals. I had spent from 6 years old in my first football game to my senior year of college playing sports and football and dreaming to make it to the league and I thought that was all over.”

Daniels was disappointed. He questioned his future. But, one thing you learn quickly when talking with him – he doesn’t give up easily. He did need to be realistic, however, and there was some uncertainty surrounding his football future given the severity of his broken ankle.

“I have metal in my ankle,” he said. “I have a three-inch plate and 15 screws.”

Finding out that he has that kind of hardware in his foot is probably hard to believe for XFL fans who saw how elusive he was Saturday, rushing for 84 yards in the second half of Saturday’s game against the BattleHawks.

Back in 2012, though, there was concern over whether he would ever play again.

“My parents pushed me to graduate,” said Daniels. “I got my degree in criminology, and I have a minor in graphic design. I even did FBI interviews, but I applied for the NFL draft and, by the grace of God, I was still drafted. Going into the draft, I’m a guy that people have to consider … you know, I have a major injury.

“Many teams wouldn’t take a chance on a guy that’s hurt. Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers was the guy that gave me that opportunity, so I’m always thankful for that. It all was just an amazing experience and really humbling.”