If there was one play that turned the momentum in Miami’s favor, it was CJ Daniels’ one-handed touchdown grab right before halftime.
Daniels, a transfer from LSU, ran right past Notre Dame standout sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore and stole the ball away from the outstretched arms of safety Adon Shuler before Shuler could collect the interception.
The touchdown catch was a long time coming for Daniels. He didn’t catch a single touchdown last season at LSU and finished fourth on the team with 42 catches for 480 yards. Before he transferred to LSU, Daniels was a star at Liberty. He had 55 catches for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Flames in 2023.
As soon as Daniels entered the transfer portal in December, Miami’s staff wasted little time reaching out to bring him in. They’d tried to get Daniels the winter before when he left Liberty for LSU.
Daniels has taken on a leadership role in Miami’s revamped receiver room, which lost its top six pass catchers from the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense a year ago, including the school’s all-time leading receiver in Xavier Restrepo.
“We needed that older guy,” receivers coach Kevin Beard said of Daniels in fall camp. “The big brother.”