Irish Sports Daily

Memphis athlete Cameron Clear got a phone call he’s been waiting for last night, but the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder from Memphis Central High School is going to have to wait a little longer to find out what it means.

Notre Dame assistant Tim Hinton phoned Clear on Wednesday night to inform the Memphis prospect the Irish were extending an official scholarship offer.

“Once you start getting the Dukes, the Stanfords and all of that, you kind of want to know where you stand with schools like Notre Dame,” Clear’s father, Michael, told Irish Sports Daily on Thursday morning. “We kind of knew where he did, not being arrogant or anything like that.”

Hinton was at Memphis Central to visit Clear last week, but couldn’t officially offer him a scholarship until he reached Irish head coach Brian Kelly. Still, Hinton gave clear indications that an offer was probable.

“He’s excited for the offer,” Michael Clear said. “He’s excited that he did get the offer, but the expectations were there.”

Clear also has offers from the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Memphis and Tennessee. Even with an official offer to Notre Dame now in hand, the Clears still want to talk to the Irish staff a bit more before setting up an official, which would most likely occur in the middle of January.

“I can’t guarantee that we will or will not take an official there,” Michael Clear said. “I don’t know at this time…Hopefully, we will be looking forward to a visit up to Notre Dame.

“Right now, we’re still in the beginning stages with this recruiting thing and Notre Dame. We know nothing about Notre Dame. We know about the school, but we don’t know anything about Coach Kelly or the offensive coordinator. We’ve only met the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for this area.”

The Clears are looking forward to discussing Notre Dame’s view of Cameron at the next level.

“I know they offered, but do you really want him?” Mr. Clear said. “We don’t know. I don’t know what they think about him because we haven’t had those conversations to this moment.”

Those discussions will be centered upon whether the Irish see Clear as an offensive tackle or tight end.

“Cam doesn’t want to play offensive tackle,” Michael Clear said clearly. “I don’t know what their intentions are. He wants to play tight end. That’s his passion, that’s what he wants to do. He knows that he can be productive, we’ve seen that. That’s what he wants to do. I don’t know where Notre Dame wants to play him.”

If the Irish want Cameron to play offensive tackle, the family probably won’t waste its time with a visit.

“That’s not where he wants to play,” Clear reiterated. “I don’t think he wouldn’t be interested in Notre Dame, but he wants to play tight end.

“If that’s what the school wants and it’s not conducive to what he wants, that’s a mutual disagreement between both parties and it just wouldn’t work. Once again, it goes back to us talking to Coach Kelly and his offensive coordinator and trying to see what they’re trying to recruit him for.

“It’s going to take some time to build some relationships with these guys to figure out exactly how he fits in to what Notre Dame’s trying to do.”

Clear is wrapping up finals today and isn't sure if he'll hear from Notre Dame before the start of Monday's dead period. But once the dead period comes, Cameron’s phone will be off and he'll be focused on basketball and upcoming tournaments in South Carolina and Atlanta until the new year.

“We won’t be in communication with any coaches,” Michael Clear said. “His phone will be off, concentrating on what he’s got to be concentrating on.”

Tony Gant left Ohio to play defensive back for Michigan and Bo Schembechler from 1982-1986, but he won’t pressure his son, Allen Gant, to make the same decision.

“He said whatever makes me happy that’s where I will go,” the younger Gant, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior from Sylvania, Ohio (Sylvania Southview) said.

Tony Gant will certainly help guide his son through the process, though.

“He went through this process when he was my age, so he’s just basically been telling me not to rush into anything,” Allen Gant said. “Just to take my time and enjoy this recruiting process because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He’s going to help me make my decision come next year.”

Right now, Gant has offers from Cincinnati, Stanford, West Virginia and Ball State, but that list should grow as he’s hearing from most of the Big Ten schools, including Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois, along with LSU, Florida, USC and Notre Dame.

Even with his dad’s history with the Wolverines, Gant didn’t grow up a Michigan fan. His uncle, Shawn Simms, coached at Ohio State from 1997-1999 and Gant was actually a Buckeye fan as a youngster, although he says he has no favorites right now.

Gant went on two unofficial visits to Ohio State, including the season finale against Michigan. He also took unofficials to Michigan and Wisconsin. In addition to a ton of letters, Gant received some invites to Notre Dame games this fall, but wasn’t able to attend any. He got his first look at the campus in South Bend over the summer when his team competed in Notre Dame’s 7-on-7 passing tournament.

“I thought it was a really nice campus and it was really interesting,” he said. “There’s a good chance I will be back.”

Gant’s Sylvania Southview squad had a strong season this year even though it ended in disappointment.  

“We went 10-0 during the regular season, we won our fourth NLL league championship and we lost in the first round of the playoffs in overtime to Twinsburg. It was tough,” he said. “We were actually the underdogs coming into that game and it kind of shocked people that we were able to hang in there since we just switched from Division II to Division I.”

Gant played receiver and safety for the Cougars and finished with 21 receptions for 404 yards and a score. He rushed the ball three times for 35 yards and threw a 42-yard touchdown pass in the playoff loss. Defensively, he finished with 56 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

“Most schools are looking at me more on the defensive side of the ball,” said Gant. “I do love hitting and I love playing on the defensive side of the ball, but after this year, I’m willing to play anything.”

Gant doesn’t plan on making a decision until after his senior season.

“I want to take all of my official visits,” he said. “I’m going to base my decision on academics then how much playing time I think I would get in the next couple of years.”

When Cam McDaniel burst onto the Notre Dame recruiting scene, people scrambled around trying to find out all they could about the Texas running back.

They wondered who the kid was and what he could possibly bring to the Irish. Then we had a chance to hear from the Coppell star himself and learn just what he was made of. The confidence, the character, the drive and the hunger that he brought to the game of football. We also got to learn about his respect for Notre Dame and how strong his faith was in God.

McDaniel's morals and religious beliefs didn't come along by accident. He was blessed to have two parents in his life, Danny and Diane McDaniel, who would help mold him into the fine young man we see today.

"We're proud of him," said Mr. McDaniel. "He's been a model kid and has made parenting very easy for us. He's not perfect, no human being is perfect, but he's lived the life and decided at a very young age what he wanted in life, where he wanted to go in life, what he was going to accomplish individually, what he was going to help teams accomplish and he's learned how to eliminate all distractions.

"We had done a lot of goal-setting since he was very young. He understood the importance of goals and learned how to eliminate those things that weren't helping him reach the goals he wanted. That's made a huge difference for him because it has allowed him to focus and work on the things he has always dreamed of doing, and he's been able to put the time into that. Normal distractions kids have in their life, he hasn't allowed to get in his way. So here we are today and it's really a blessing."

Cam McDaniel not only strives to be a role model to his peers. He has also played the part in his family also.

"Cam is an amazing big brother," said the running back's father. "We've got a rule around our house that we always try to raise champions, but at the same time we don't believe in picking on each other, pulling on each other's ears or doing any of that stupid stuff. Because of that, Cam has earned the respect of his two little brothers and they chase him around and they inspire to be just like Cam. It's about how you treat other human beings and goes back to lifting people up. Cam does that with his little brothers also.

"We've got a real close family with all three boys. We spend a lot of time with our boys with God first and family second. We've always wanted to live our lives where we won't have any regrets and our kids would always know who we were. Our Thanksgivings and Christmases for the rest of our lives would be glorious with our kids and our grandkids because they would always want to come back to our home."

Growing up, sports always came second nature in the McDaniel household and the the Texas running back's mother explains why.

"It's just been bred in him," said Diane McDaniel. "Obviously, when Cam was born his dad was already a coach and that was just in us. I've always been an athlete and it's always run strong in our family, so it's never been a question if our kids were going to be athletes or if they were going to love sports.

"Obviously, we don't feel like we ever forced it on them, but because that passion is contagious it's just been bred in them. He loved being around the fieldhouse, having a ball, suiting up and putting a baseball uniform or football uniform on. He wanted to be all out in the thick of it and his favorite place was to be at the football games. It's always been so much fun to watch him as he's continued to grow up."

Danny McDaniel remembers several moments during Cam's childhood when he realized his son was going to be special.

"I had the opportunity to be an assistant at a school called Austin Westlake, which was the winningest high school team of the 1990's," he said. "Cam was in that environment as a toddler. It almost doesn't make sense, but at three years old we lost in the 5A state championship game and he cried all the way home from the Houston Astrodome for three hours as a three-year old. I knew at that point something was going on here, that I had a competitor on my hands.

"He started playing soccer, he played select soccer, and that was a huge part of his development. We are big soccer fans as far as the development of a total athlete. Then when he started playing youth football, it was instantaneous from the moment he ever touched a football, he was a slasher, hard to tackle and making all kinds of moves.

"In elementary school, he started getting glued to the TV and just watching running backs. He was studying Barry Sanders, Earl Campbell and anything that would come on TV about a running back. Barry Sanders basically became his hero and the person he wanted to model himself after."

While perfecting his craft, Cam McDaniel continue to excel at the running back position. He also was very hungry to be successful on the football field. Had the Coppell star always been this driven?

  "The only answer to that is absolutely," said Mrs. McDaniel."As a mom, I had to grow to understand that competitive spirit he carried because at times I thought it was out of balance. The older he got, the more I realized he had such a passion to win and hated so much to lose. The way that he handled things, the way he carried frustration, there would be times where the team would win, but Cam would be mad at himself because of the expectations he had for himself on the field. He's competitive, not just overall about the score, but about his performance and he's always been that way. It's crazy to watch and even to this day, his focus is to win."

Danny McDaniel also knows his son is confident in his abilities and he looks forward to the challenges he'll face in South Bend.

"Cam, first and foremost he loves God," aid Mr. McDaniel. "He understands the importance of humility and it's not a fake thing for him, it's not a false humility. At the same time, he is extremely confident in who he is because he knows with God all things are possible. He carries himself in a way where he loves people, he loves to be around people, he loves to lift people up and he loves to build people.

"In regard to his dreams, it's about winning championships. That's where we are at right now with his high school football team. He has always dreamed of winning a state championship and he knows he can't do it by himself. No great victory is ever achieved with one person alone. So Cam just loves to gather with other people and be a lifter and that requires leadership, belief and vision. He takes those qualities, belief and vision, and puts them with his leadership to lift others up around him. If you can lift others up around you, you can basically achieve anything you want to achieve and that is his goal at Notre Dame."

Diane McDaniel also knows that her son will have no problem making friends.

"I would never use the word quiet with Cam," she said. "He is definitely very sociable and he has always had a ease of being around people. He has never, ever been the type to be intimidated no matter who he's around, and always has been great at being able to carry a conversation no matter what the age difference might be.

"This also has gotten him very far, because of that reality he is very confident in who he is and he has always been someone that's interested. He's never been hesitant to ask questions, he's never been bored with information, so Cam is far from quiet and I would say he's outspoken in many areas of his life. He loves setting an example and setting his example is not always with his actions but very much with his words of life. He also makes sure people understand the power of words and the strength in them."

The confidence and hunger of the young Texas teenager has helped to lead the Coppell Cowboys to a 13-1 record this season. As colleges like Iowa, Stanford, Navy and Cincinnati started making offers to the running back, his family kept having faith that God would show them the way they should go.

"We continued to ask God if it was meant to be just to swing those doors wide open and if it wasn't to close them," said Danny McDaniel. "Our job around here on our part is to move forward each day and wait and see what happens. We just kept pressing forward. Cam kept returning the phone calls that needed to be returned and make the conversations take place that needed to take place. You know everything just came together and it was extremely exciting when it did."

The door that swung open just so happen to have Brian Kelly and Kerry Cooks behind it carrying a Irish offer.

"It was pretty amazing," explained Mr. McDaniel. "We try and pick up on people real quick and you meet a lot of good folks in the recruiting process, a lot of good coaches and a lot of great men. The easiest way to explain Coach Kelly walking in was he just really had a spirit of excellence on him. There was a vibrancy and an electrifying excellence that came off the guy.

"He didn't have to say a whole lot of words, you could just see it on him, 'You know what? There's one thing thing I know in life, I know how to win and I know how to win championships.' That's what you're looking for. You're not looking for the guy who's going to come in and offer you the moon or say, 'Your kid's the best thing since sliced bread and I'm going to promise him I'm going to do this, this, this and this.'

"The bottom line is can you walk in and say, 'Here's what we are going to do. Your son has a opportunity to play here at this particular university. We're going to win a national championship and if you want to be a part of that you'll be in a great program.' Coach Kelly didn't have to say that verbatim but that's just what radiates off the guy. That in itself was pretty convincing."

After receiving the Notre Dame offer, it took very little time for Cam McDaniel to become the 17th member in the Irish recruiting class and, according to his father, it was a no brainer.

"When you look at the tradition of Notre Dame and you look at the excellence of the University and what it stands for the alumni, the people," he said. "You don't have to be a Notre Dame alum to understand the tight net group of people that come out of Notre Dame. You can see it all over America in whatever community you live in.

"There's just an aura about Notre Dame when you talk about it with people. When we visited there over the summer of 2009 before Cam's junior year, he went to a junior day camp. We got to spend two days there and get a whole tour of the campus, walk through every building, see the seven Heisman trophies and to see all the history attached to Notre Dame. Just to be able to walk in that place and go, 'I wonder what if. What if Cam ended up playing football here in front of these massive amounts of people, with Touchdown Jesus in the background, all the tradition and all the glory?' It would be unbelievable.

"A year and a half later and here it is, it's all coming to fruition. It's hard to describe."

When Diane McDaniel found out that Notre Dame would be her son's next destination. She knew that God had answered their prayers.

"It has been so awesome to see how faithful and how revealing God has been through this entire process," she said. "How Cam has really been quite confident in his faith when it comes to some of the question marks. Why things have happened? Why doors had shut? Why hasn't he received offers from certain schools. Of course, it goes back to God's perfect timing and we really do believe that that is Notre Dame's offer.

"Obviously, I was thrilled because I knew Cam was excited about it. The biggest thing our prayer has been is that Cam is happy and that where he's going is something he's fired up by and he believes God has put him in. From the second that (Notre Dame's interest) started arising, that conversation started happening about the possibility, he had a new fire in him about Notre Dame. The closer it came to being a real possibility, it was just amazing to see how it unfolded and became so real, so fast. When it became a reality it was just so surreal and very, very exciting.

"All of us are extremely excited. I don't have any reservations and I don't have any concerns. A lot of people think this might be an emotional time for me because Cam is the first of our three boys that's moving into the college season of his life. Cam is so mature and he has got such a great vision of life, I just can't be anything but excited for him. I mean obviously, his presence will be missed, but at the same time I know Cam's ready for what's in store for him and what's in store for his next season."

Cam McDaniel will be making the move to South Bend to continue his football career and his parents plan to participate in that as much as possible.

"It's nice to have national television for all our other relatives," said Danny McDaniel. "But our son Gavin is going to be sophomore next year, so he'll be playing on Friday nights and we'll be catching some early-morning plane flights from DFW to South Bend. We're extremely fortunate because we live about 10 minutes from the north gate of the DFW airport. We're kind of spoiled there."