Meet Danny O’Neal, first-choice QB decided on by way of Colorado’s Deion Sanders

Danny O’Neal used to be most effective at the Colorado campus for a couple of hours. He in truth had a handy guide a rough assembly with trainer Deion Sanders ahead of heading out to lunch with a couple of Buffaloes assistants. At the long ago from the meal, the dimensions of the location truly hit him.

The automobile drove throughout the gorgeous Colorado campus. From the window, he found out a big brick area of the fraternity. Putting from the roof used to be a mattress sheet with 3 spray-painted names on it: Gage Ginther, Aaron Butler, and Danny O’Neil. That used to be a want listing for recruits that the fraternity sought after to peer exchange soccer in Colorado.

As the auto drove previous the home, hip-hop kicked off when a bunch of frat brothers waved any other mattress sheet bearing the Sanders soccer Buffaloes brand.

# We comin’

“It used to be without a doubt an excellent revel in to peer the college toughen the crew and know what is easiest for them,” mentioned O’Neill. the athlete Wednesday. And that suggests bringing in some extremely rated recruits. It is nice to peer that everybody is enjoying soccer there.”

O’Neal is a three-star quarterback who performs for the Indianapolis Cathedral. He used to be ranked the 572nd participant and No. 33 QB within the elegance of 2024 at 247Sports Composite. He used to be hand-picked by way of Sanders—referred to as Trainer High—and offensive coordinator Shawn Lewis as this system’s quarterback of the long run.

Danny O’Neal ranks 572nd at 247 Sports activities Composite. (Courtesy of Danny O’Neill)

O’Neal had no purpose of committing to Colorado State this weekend, however he knew that when he discovered the precise are compatible, he can be keen to come to a decision. Lewis joked that he would now not let O’Neal depart Boulder with out his dedication. O’Neill laughed.

Louis gained the combat. O’Neal introduced his dedication Tuesday.

“All of it came about naturally,” he mentioned. “Simply the best way everybody used to be treating me and my mother, it truly felt like house, and it is this type of great spot to be. Boulder is this type of gorgeous town. I were given to hang around with Trainer High so much, greater than some other trainer on any seek advice from. Simply being round him and understanding that his connections It used to be nice, however he has a wish to win. That is the giant promote for me. It is a wish to win, now not a need.”

No faculty program is extra mentioned than Colorado. That is what Sanders does as your trainer. The entire recreation is ready to peer if Trainer High can flip this low-key Pac-12 program into a countrywide name contender. Sanders’ listing of accomplishments — even ahead of he coached a sport in Colorado — is spectacular. Former five-star linebacker Travis Hunter (#1 participant within the elegance of 2022) and Shader Sanders (his son) signed for Jackson State and taken either one of them with him to Boulder by the use of the switch portal. He grew to become five-star linebacker Cormani McClain out of Miami for the category of 2023. He is making Boulder a vacation spot for visiting possibilities who should not have appeared two times at this program six months in the past.

Sanders has a dynamic persona. He says what he method and will get effects. That is the way you feed the hype gadget.

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So when O’Neal dedicated to Colorado, it mattered. Sanders, who may just persuade someone from anyplace to provide Boulder a 2nd glance, discovered his quarterback in Indianapolis.

Who is that this kid? O’Neal has provides from Cincinnati, Houston, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Northwestern, Purdue, Wake Woodland, West Virginia, and extra. Allen Trieu, a recruiting analyst that specialize in the Midwest for 247Sports, assesses O’Neal and understands why Colorado will have to get in.

“Danny is a moderately correct review. There’s now not numerous thriller in it,” Treau mentioned. “I take into accout him as a freshman who used to be truly able to throwing the ball. He performs in a truly excellent highschool program, gained a number of video games, has nice stats, an excellent touchdown-to-turnover ratio, a pace-setter, all that stuff. It isn’t as giant as one of the most different gamers at the Nationwide Employment Council. I believe it is fascinating to notice that Deion and Sean Lewis take him on as their first quarterback. I suppose it tells you that they worth the intangibles. They recognize the locker room product and the type of pedigree he is include with this highschool program, and naturally the manufacturing.”

This can be a robust place for a possible participant like O’Neal. He would possibly not have the dimensions—he is indexed at 6-foot-1, 185 kilos—to sooner or later land an be offering from Alabama or Georgia, however he is coming into the bottom flooring for what may just sooner or later be a monster in this system. Why mess with a random Energy 5 mid-level college when it’s good to be the long run quarterback for Trainer High? That is a stupendous gross sales backyard.

Then again, O’Neal is not going to shy clear of paintings. Watch movies of Sanders addressing the Colorado crew for the primary time. He understands, with no shadow of a doubt, that no matter occurs to him in Colorado will win him over. What he sees, then again, is a meritocracy in a program that is now at the leading edge of faculty soccer. It additionally sees a former Lewis trainer who left Kent State to coordinate Colorado’s offense. He additionally noticed the stats publish by way of quarterbacks at Lewis, operating again Jimmy Garoppolo at Jap Illinois.

“Trainer High used to be coming to a spot the place they hadn’t gained numerous video games, and he used to be seeking to encourage the crew by way of telling them that he brings in gamers who’re in a position to compete and earn what they get,” O’Neal mentioned. “Everybody in each and every place should earn their position. That appealed to me

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“In the end, it’s going to be as much as me and who I will be able to lend a hand convey this crew round and encompass myself with to provide us the most productive likelihood of profitable. I wish to convey within the guys who can play. He promised me not anything. He wasn’t. I will come and compete and take a look at to steer this crew in a few years.” .

Is O’Neill’s Louis Vuitton baggage?

“I believe so,” he laughed.

What is even higher is that he appears to be like poised to be Colorado’s quarterback one day.

This is not a foul position for a three-star quarterback outdoor of Indianapolis.

(Picture from above supplied by way of Danny O’Neill).