It was only natural that TJ McDaniel played football. It just runs in his family’s blood. Both his grandfather and father coached high school ball in North Texas. His brother, Cam, played football at Notre Dame before matriculating to the CFL.

Last year, McDaniel followed in Cam’s footsteps as he caught the eyes of college recruiters across the country. He ran for 1,868 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior at Southlake Carroll earning scholarships from major programs like Oregon and Clemson in the process.

But McDaniel didn’t commit to one of those programs. Instead, the three-star prospect decided to stay in North Texas and committed to SMU on Tuesday.

“It feels awesome,” McDaniel said. “It’s kind of relief to get that off of my chest and know where I’m going.”