Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Northern Illinois bolsters their offense with the commitment of Dakota, Class of 2015 TE Daniel Crawford
http://www.thedzone.net/2014/04/northern...2FToxmHcb2
A title summarizes what the context of an article or book will either be about to refer to the conclusion. It's safe to say that the 6'3" and 230 lbs TE commit, Daniel Crawford of Dakota High School will definitely strengthen the already strong Northern Illinois University offense. Daniel Crawford was taking a visit on Tuesday night out to DeKalb, Illinois to verbally commit to the coaches of NIU. Crawford a TE known best for his A++ hands, also has strong blocking skills to compliment his receiving skills. To make matters worse for defenders they need to deal with Crawford's size and strength which cause major mismatches.
The Northern Illinois University Huskies started off the 2013 season with 12 straight wins before dropping their Bowl Game and MAC Championship to finish with a 12-2 record. In 2012 it was a similar situation as NIU won 12 straight, dropping their first game of the year by 1 point vs. Iowa and closed the season with a loss vs. Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Northern Illinois is the only MAC team to ever play in the Orange Bowl since it was started in 1935 and going one step further, the Huskies were the only MAC team to clinch a BCS berth, which includes; Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The success that the Huskies had definitely caught Crawford's attention when they offered. "What stands out most would probably be the coaching staff and their winning record," said Crawford. "The coaching staff is awesome and very down to earth, they are very understanding and they care. Which is important."
The Huskies were led by Heisman Contender, Jordan Lynch at QB and compiled an average of 39.6 points per game which was the 12th highest points per game total in the NCAA. The Huskies will move forward without Lynch who led NIU to a 24-4 record the past 2 seasons. Crawford is 1 of 3 Michigan players in the Class of 2015 to be offered by NIU, with a chance to commit to NIU - Crawford could not resist, as summer camps near. "Committing to NIU feels great," said Crawford. "It's awesome knowing I can continue my football career somewhere where I'm wanted and fit in well."
Yesterday, April 29th, Daniel Crawford drove out to Northern Illinois for the first time and would commit. A week earlier on Friday, April 25th the Huskies coaches visited Crawford at school. Daniel Crawford provided his impressions of the campus of NIU, "What I enjoyed most while visiting was the facilities and the people I interacted with. Nothing is hidden, they have top notch facilities from living dorms to the football part of it. The people are real, usually they put on their best face for you but here what you see is what you get." Crawford also described the moment that he committed to play for NIU, "When they found out I committed, Coach Carey called all the Coaches out and they all came hugged and congratulated me and welcomed me to the family. We then watched the 2013-2014 highlight film together. It was a fun experience."
- 2013 Football Highlights
Prior to being at Dakota, Crawford resided in Chicago, Illinois which is about an hour away from DeKalb. Crawford described that the distance factor did not really impact his decision, "Distance doesn't have much of an impact on my decision," said Crawford. "I've been moving around my whole life so I'm used to it. I used to live around the Chicago area so I have friends around there."
The spread offensive provides offenses with a chance to exploit mismatches once the ball is snapped, and that is what NIU ran but with a 7th ranked rushing offense while the passing game wasn't needed as much. By bringing in a versatile TE such as Crawford who is a very good blocking/catching TE, the coaches of NIU add a valuable piece to their offense. Crawford shared some insight on what the coaching staff likes about the way he plays, "The Coaches at NIU like how versatile I am and how well I can fit into the program because of my ability to play all over the field and be successful doing it." Crawford also added, "me fitting into their program would involve me playing all over the field; attached to the line of scrimmage, playing as the #1 receiver on the outside or even lining up somewhere in the backfield. Versatility is key and that's how they see me fitting into the offense."
Justin Brantley who runs, B-Fit Detroit has worked with Crawford at his gym in Mount Clemens, Brantley discussed Crawford's work ethic, "I got the opportunity to start working with Daniel Crawford when he was playing AAU basketball with Jermaine Jackson and the Super Friends. He's always been a hard worker with a determined mindset. He's a matchup problem due to his size, strength, route running and exceptional catching abilities."
Dakota has had countless players move on to sign with Division 1 Football programs since opening in 1996. Dakota also a statewide respected program, has big goals each season on the field. Being a football player who is a great teammate and upon receiving a special spotlight for continuing their path to be a student-athlete on the next level, leaves an impression for fellow students and the community. Daniel Crawford responded to how he hopes to leave an example for younger Dakota Cougars, "At Dakota, there is lots of opportunity to go out and achieve what you want. As I leave, I hope to inspire my underclassmen that I lead onto the field to go get what they want and to never be satisfied.. Just to be a good role model overall as a football player and as a person."
Now that Crawford has committed, he can shift his focus towards the team as well as improving his skills. Justin Brantley commented on the things he'd like Crawford to improve on heading into the summer, "This off-season our primary focus is on speed development. He will be a great fit for NIU and will have an exceptional senior year and college career." Crawford also added what he'll move his focus to during the offseason, now that he is committed and awaits the day he can sign with Northern Illinois University. "As far as Signing Day goes, that's the last thing on my mind," said Crawford. "Week 1 we play Clarkston and that's what's on my mind. Our goal is to hopefully go get some hardware this year and stop knocking as we've been doing and finally kick the door down and get what we deserve."