Former Marysville Monarchs Thomas Rush (right) and Gunner Daniel (left) are shown at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
(Photo submitted)
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After being a student of the game, one former Monarch now sees himself as a cultivator of talent after landing a coaching job with the Ohio State Buckeyes’ football program.
From a very young age, Gunner Daniel knew he wanted to be a football coach after realizing the thoughts of playing in the Major Leagues or NFL wasn’t necessarily in the cards.
“It started way before I started playing college football,” Daniel said regarding his fascination for coaching. “In the back of my mind, I knew that I wasn’t going to play in the NFL [or MLB]… so I thought coaching was the next best thing.”
Stemming from his time in high school, Daniel noted that his coaches, including head coach Morgan Cotter along with offensive line coaches Mike Young and Scott Freeland, were instrumental in his decision to pursue coaching.
“It is truly exciting to see Gunner start to achieve his goals professionally,” Cotter said. “As a coach, you start to see if you made a meaningful impact on a player years later.”
When Daniel was a member of the Monarchs’ gridiron squad, he said he would visit Freeland at his home in the summer months to “talk ball,” adding the current MHS line coach was a “huge mentor to me in coaching.
“I was lucky enough to have some great coaches in high school and going through college,” Daniel said, adding he found a purpose in being a mentor to young gridders.
“I just hope that Gunner can use something that we did while he was a Monarch and pass it on to the guys he will have the opportunity to work with,” Cotter said.
Daniel was a decorated Monarch who earned three varsity. In his senior season, he was a first-team all-conference center and a team captain and also participated in the Blue-Gray All-American Bowl.
According to Kohl’s kicking, Daniel, who was also a catcher for the MHS baseball squad, was the 34th ranked long snapper in the country during his time in high school.
After his collegiate career, the former Monarch sought opportunities in the coaching world to guide athletes.
Daniel played Division I football at Ball State, Wagner and Boston College serving as a long snapper on special teams.
While he did not see game time at Ball State, Daniel earned the starting long snapper job at Wagner and played in 11 games in 2018.
He recorded two tackles against Campbell and Saint Francis University.
In 2019, he was named to the All-Northeast Conference’s preseason list being labeled as a reliable long snapper for the punt and field goal teams.
In 2021, he won the starting job for Boston College. He played in 12 games while recording four tackles.
Safe to say, Daniel has a knack for special teams while being a vital member and unsung hero of those units.
Daniel was hired in 2018 to take part in the Hammer Kicking Academy (HKA), thanks in part to CEO and founder Adam Tanalski. The camp was organized to help cultivate specialists throughout their entire athletic career.
According to HKA website, Tanalski has had more than 550 college athletes with 45 of them trying out for the NFL.
“We do camps all over the country,” Daniel said. “In 2019, I was hired as the lead snapping director for the entire camp.”
After his time as a collegiate athlete came to a close, his coaches at Boston College helped guide him in pursuing a career in the coaching world. He spent time in the recruiting office, helping identify players for the program as well as possible transfers.
He credits his former special teams coordinator Matt Thurin for helping him get an interview with the Buckeyes. Thurin worked at Ohio State from 2015 to 2019.
“He was so great to me and changed my life in many ways,” Daniel said. “He was awesome to me.”
Not too long ago, Daniel had the chance to be a graduate assistant working for the NFLPA Bowl which showcases any draft-eligible college football players in an all-star game setup. He also worked alongside former Monarch and Minnesota alumni Thomas Rush who participated in the bowl as a senior defensive lineman.
“That was huge for me actually being out there and working in a team environment,” Daniel said. “Eddie George was our head coach… coming from central Ohio that was awesome to meet and work with him.”
After working the showcase bowl, Daniel had several interviews for coaching positions in the hopes that he would have a place to call home once the fall season came around.
On Feb 15, Daniel made it public that he would be joining Ohio State’s football coaching staff as a special teams assistant.
“I was probably a couple hours from agreeing with another school,” Daniel noted. “Then the Ohio State job was offered to me.”
In his journey, the former Monarch credits showing up to the task while putting in the work which helped him secure a position with his favorite college program growing up.
“I am a firm believer that if you are willing to put in the work, you can do anything you want,” Daniel said.