Sam Daniels - Football Coach - University of Delaware Athletics

Sam Daniels

Title:
Assistant Coach/Defensive Line
Email:
danielsg@udel.edu

Sam Daniels joined the Delaware football coaching staff in March 2022. Daniels, who brings plenty of CAA experience, will coach the team's defensive line.

In his first season with the Blue Hens in 2022, Daniels helped lead Delaware to the FCS Playoffs. The defensive line was a force in the opponents’ backfield as the Blue Hens totaled 65 TFL and 24 sacks, an improvement of seven sacks from the season before. Delaware led the CAA and ranked second in the nation in scoring defense (18.2 ppg), while ranking third in total defense (282.6 ypg) and fourth in both forced fumbles (14). Artis Hemmingway was selected to the All-CAA Second Team while Chase McGowan earned his third-straight All-CAA nod.

Prior to coming to Newark, Daniels spent two seasons at the University of Richmond, coaching the defensive tackles. In his two years with the Spiders, the defense ranked among the top 25 nationally both seasons in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. Daniels coached Kobie Turner to two All-America selections and Turner was named the CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the shortened spring season in 2021, the first interior defensive lineman in the CAA to earn the award since 2011.

Prior to Richmond, Daniels spent time at both Howard University and Bridgewater College, as well as three seasons at Shepherd University in West Virginia (2016-18) coaching the defensive line. He mentored Myles Humphrey to All-America honors in 2017 and 2018 as the school’s all-time sack leader earned PSAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades in 2017.

Daniels came to Shepherd after two seasons as the defensive line coach at Frostburg State University (2014-15) and two years at the Apprentice School. He was the defensive coordinator, defensive line and recruiting coordinator at the Apprentice School in 2013 while serving as the defensive line and recruiting coordinator in 2012.

No stranger to the CAA, Daniels was a two-time All-American and four-year member of the James Madison University football team. In his final two years, Daniels was a two-time team captain, a two-time All-CAA selection and a two-time All-American. Over his final two seasons, he finished with 108 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss with 10.5 sacks on the defensive line. As a senior, he was the Dukes’ Defensive MVP and Lineman of the Year.

Daniels graduated from James Madison in 2010 with a bachelor of science in kinesiology. He earned his master’s degree in education from Frostburg State in 2016.