How Rob Glass, Oklahoma State, turned a 'rail' thin Kendal Daniels into a monster of a linebacker
Tyler Waldrep
OSU Sports WriterSTILLWATER — For those who haven’t seen Oklahoma State linebacker Kendal Daniels in a few months, there’s really only one appropriate way to respond these days.
“Oh my god, this dude is huge,” said Rod Thompson, a longtime family friend.
For those who haven’t seen the now 240-pounder in years, there might not be words to describe the change the once 185-pound prospect underwent off the field. Although, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy took a stab at doing that this week.
Here’s the scouting report on the Daniels Gundy recruited.
“Basketball player, thin, rail, zero muscle,” Gundy said.
Hardly words a college coach would use to describe a starting linebacker, especially not at a program with college football playoff aspirations.
During his recruitment, Daniels weighed roughly 185 pounds. His official weight listed on his freshman year roster in 2021 had him at 195, but this season the former safety-turned-linebacker now weighs 240.
“I look back on his pictures and I’m like oh my god my baby was so little… now he’s just like a monster,” his mother Carmelita Daniels said. “I look at him and I tell him every time I see him, I will be like, ‘Kendal, it looks like you grew.’”
Building the monster
In the last 12 or so months, Daniels has put on an additional 27 pounds. That’s almost three times his previous biggest gain at Oklahoma State.
However, that has little to do with his position change this fall. In fact, correctly predicting such a size increase was a big reason the Cowboys began looking at moving him to linebacker in the first place.
“He was going to outgrow that position,” Oklahoma State strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass said in an exclusive interview with the World. “That is just what was happening as his body matured. This is a more advantageous position for him from where it currently lives just as far as his body type. This will be a little more comfortable for him playing a little closer to the ball.”
Sometimes Oklahoma State recruits guys with an expectation that they will undergo such a dramatic physical change and grow into a different role. That wasn’t the case with Daniels, although both Glass and Gundy now realize why their initial calculations were off.
“He’s a multi-sport guy (at Beggs), and he’s not put on any weight because he never stops moving,” Gundy said.
Interestingly enough, Oklahoma actually recruited Daniels to be a linebacker. His mother said the Sooners were the only school that preferred him for that role. Almost everyone else envisioned him at safety, although a few schools like Clemson planned to use him in multiple spots the same way they did a former Tiger who currently plays linebacker for the New York Giants.
“Clemson when coach (Brent) Venables, Venables was the one that was recruiting him at Clemson,” Carmelita Daniels said. “And he told him he was kind of more of a like an Isaiah Simmons.”
If everything goes Daniels’ way, the two players might have similar destinations, but they have very different beginnings. For one thing, Simmons started his college career weighing roughly 220 pounds.
“Coach Glass’ hall of fame is a big one,” Gundy said. “There’s a lot of them, but Kendal certainly falls in that category.”
Glass said Daniels jumps higher and runs faster, a 4.6ish guy in the 40-yard dash, according to the strength coach. That his numbers continue to improve despite the added weight gives Glass confirmation that the increased weight is a good thing for his future career.
Despite what looks like a sharp change from the outside, Glass insists his staff didn’t have to change anything up this offseason where Daniels was concerned. This was just the natural evolution of his body.
“It is a tribute to Kendal,” Glass said. “Because he was willing to put the sweat equity into work and immerse himself in our program. … He was dedicated and committed and really applied himself every day.”
Ready to rumble
KD Frosh year at 195
The start of the season always puts a few butterflies in Carmelita Daniels’ stomach, but ahead of the season-opening win against South Dakota State, she found a new measure of peace.
“He seems calm this year,” Carmelita Daniels said. “He seems like he’s in his element, like this is what he likes to do. Because he likes to go hit. This to me is more the style of his play. … He likes to go after the ball, he likes to go after the quarterback.”
It helps that former Beggs football coach David Tenison warned his former player that he might outgrow his spot in the secondary since his high school days. Before anyone asks Tenison for lottery numbers, he’s quick to add that even he didn’t envision the extent to which Daniels would grow.
“I didn’t anticipate his body transitioning as much as it has to how thick and solid he is now. … I know he’s worked very diligently in the weight room to prepare himself,” Tenison said.
The former Beggs coach is one of many who believe that Daniels’ time in Oklahoma State’s secondary will pay dividends for the rest of his career as he brings athleticism and coverage skills to his new role.
“Coverage is not going to be a problem,” Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin said. “He played safety, so that’s a strong suit now.”
Martin added that Daniels has been a natural at his new position since he first started working on it during the winter. Just don’t expect to see him reach his potential anytime soon.
“Kendal was good, but has a lot of room for improvement,” Gundy said. “Because he’s in an area that he’s not as frequent with, where he hasn’t been as much. He should get better each week.”
