Roderick Daniels returns to SMU team with opportunity to contribute
SMU wide receiver Roderick Daniels left the team after the TCU game and had eyes on transferring. After SMU’s loss at UCF, the Duncanville, Texas native is back with the Mustangs.
Head coach Rhett Lashlee confirmed that Daniels returned to the team this week. He caught two passes for 76 yards, one of which went for a 75-yard touchdown against North Texas.
His return times up with SMU wide receiver Jake Bailey likely done for the year. Bailey broke out against TCU to lead SMU in receiving, but exited the UCF game early with another injury. He also was hurt against North Texas, missing the next two games.
Daniels has been through a lot, burying his father Roderick Daniels, Sr. after he passed away last month. There’s opportunity to contribute, sure, but also being close to family played a part.
“Right after the TCU game, he and I had a conversation,” Lashlee said. “He’s really had a lot go on in his life in the last week and a half. I don’t know if y’all know, but he just buried his father on Saturday I believe it was. So he’s lost his father in the last week and a half. Yes, we had a meeting, he was considering ‘Do I want to save this year, do I not.’ After kind of getting through the things with his family, he came back and said, ‘I want to be here. I want to play.’
“He’s part of the family. He’s always been a part of the family, so he’s here, he wants to be here and we’re glad he’s here.”
Two SMU players still with the team
Two players who contemplated leaving the team this season are safety Isaiah Nwokobia and wideout Jayleen Record. Both were at practice on Monday and Tuesday. Record is working on the scout team and Nwokobia is going through tests on a hamstring that’s giving him trouble.
“Jayleen and Isaiah have always been at practice. They’ve never not been at practice. Isaiah has a nagging hamstring that he’s had before,” Lashlee said. “We did some tests last week to find out where the hamstring is. He actually had an appointment (Tuesday) to look at some joint things, so we’re trying to get him to where he’s 100%. Just the way things are going, there’s no point in putting him out there until he is. Jayleen, same thing, has never missed a beat and is here.”
Nwokobia has played in four games, but saw his defensive snaps diminish since the start of the season. Record has two kick returns for 63 yards on the year.
