Eric McDaniel - Football Coach - Troy University Athletics

Eric McDaniel

Title:
Defensive Line
Email:
jmorgan@troy.edu
Phone:
3682

Eric McDaniel begins his second season as Troy’s defensive line coach following one season in a similar role at Army.

In addition to record-breaking team performances by the Trojan defense and team, a pair of McDaniel’s defensive linemen shined as T.J. Jackson and Will Choloh earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors.

As a defensive unit, Troy held all 14 of its opponents to under their season average in scoring, including three of the top 25 scoring teams in the country – UTSA, Western Kentucky and App State. The Trojans limited UTSA to just 10 offensive points in the Cure Bowl, with three of those 10 points coming on a 4-play, 7-yard drive following a turnover; the Roadrunners entered the game averaging 38.7 points per game.

The Trojans held eight of its 14 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter and allowed an average of just 3.64 points in the final 15 minutes of the game. Additionally, Troy ranked eighth nationally in turnovers gained, 14th in sacks, eighth in scoring defense, 19th in total defense and 24th in rushing defense.

Additionally, the Trojans posted a 12-2 record, won the Sun Belt Conference championship, ended the season on an 11-game winning streak – second only to National Champion Georgia – won the only bowl matchup pitting two conference champions by defeating UTSA in the Cure Bowl.

Troy finished the season ranked in a major poll for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 20 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. Additionally, Troy's appearance in the Coaches Poll and College Football Playoff Poll after its Sun Belt Championship Game victory were also firsts for the program.

Troy hosted and appeared in the Sun Belt Championship Game for the first time, reached the 12-win mark at the FBS level for the first time and hosted Army in front of a Veterans Memorial Stadium record crowd of more than 31,000 fans.

McDaniel helped guide Army to a 9-4 record in 2021, capped by a victory over Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army ranked 17th nationally, holding opponents to just 328.4 yards per game, 36th allowing just 22.3 points per game and 17thallowing only 117.2 yards per game on the ground. The Black Knights were also one of the fewest penalized teams in the country, finishing third with just 3.85 penalties per game and set the school record for sacks in a season with 30.

Army's defense specialized in getting off the field and limited opposing offenses to just 24:28 time of possession each game, tied for the lowest in the country.

Prior to his one-year with the Black Knights, McDaniel was a quality control coach at Louisville for two seasons after two seasons as quality control coach at App State working with the Mountaineers defensive line.

Louisville improved by over 10 points per game and more than doubled their sack total from the 2018 season in McDaniel’s first year with the Cardinals. At App State, the defense ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense at 15.7 points per game, holding the opposition to 10 or fewer points in seven contests. The Mountaineers also ranked No. 1 in big plays allowed and sixth in total defense (279.3) and in 2017 ranked 17th nationally with 38 sacks.

Before getting his start at the FBS level with App State, McDaniel was a graduate assistant at Muskingum for two seasons at the NCAA Division III level.

McDaniel graduated with his degree in health and kinesiology from Purdue in 2014 where he played in 15 games for the Boilermakers from 2009-13. He earned his master’s degree in education from Muskingum in 2016.