Dante Daniels: "I've Never Been Around A Group Of People So Amazing"

NC State tight end Dante Daniels met with the media to discuss his increase in playing time, Wake Forest, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

How has this week been on and off the field for you? 
It's been pretty big, honestly. I've had a lot more snaps this week and I got engaged. Most people should know a lot of stuff. My girlfriend, my fiance now, is a great woman. Helped me honestly through this whole process from JUCO to here. It's been honestly amazing and this week has been a blessing.

What has that experience been like for you going from Juco to kind of fitting in here? 
It's been great. It's a big change, but everyone here has helped me a lot. Growing in person as a husband soon and as a teammate. Coming from Juco you know you don't have much. So coming here I'm more and more grateful for coming here. And then honestly I felt more complacent at the beginning when I got here. And I realized, hey, my fiancee was telling me, hey, I'd be back on your edge. Come on, work it. Everyone here is telling me that. It works for me every single practice. It's like, hey, come on, Dante. Let's go. Work it. Work it. Let's go.

You popped a question last week, guys. In case you didn't hear that husband-to-be thing. Well, tell us about that. How did you pop the question? 
I've been with her for three and a half years now. She's amazing. And I decided, like, she works at a hair salon right now. And I was like, oh, let's go to a botanical garden in Duke and have my friend Justin. I had Justin actually take pictures and Aiden Arias take pictures. And I took her to the garden. Got down on one knee and I was shaking trying to put the ring on. It was nerve-wracking, but the best thing that ever happened to me. 

Just there at Duke Gardens? 
Yeah.

So was there a big crowd around? 
A couple. Not a lot. It was raining. Oh, okay. Proposal in the rain. Yeah, Coach 2J said that's a good look, so I had to do it.

Have you gotten used to calling her  fiance yet? 
No. I'd still say girlfriend all the time. 

How's your NC State experience been so far? 
Amazing. I've never been around a group of people so amazing, like the coaches and the teammates. I'm always nervous getting into a new group of people, and the team has brought me in and treated me like I've been there for years. I'm close friends with Reid Mitchell, one of our tight ends, and Justin and Juice.

We're all close, and everyone's been so welcoming and so amazing. And then the coaches, on the other hand, have been extreme. They've been texting me here and there if something's wrong. They text me if I'm okay. I proposed, the older coach would text me, call on me. Coach Doeren called me at 10:30 at night congratulating me. I've never felt that before. 

Coach Doeren has said in the past that junior college players appreciate the perks when they get to NC State. Obviously, with your background and coming in from Canada, are there moments where you just kind of pinch yourself when you look around and you see all the opportunities that are right here? 
Yeah, every day I wake up, I thank God. Obviously, God brought me here. Every game I go to, I went to Clemson. Since I was a little boy, I've jumped to playing at Clemson. I cried going to that field. I cried before going to Panther Stadium. Just a blessing. My situation growing up, I didn't have much resources. I was adopted late, and my foster family gave me a chance to play football in junior college. Went over there and played at stadiums that are smaller than high schools. Coming here, getting the food you get here, the perks you get here, like the hot tub, cold tub, treatment, all that stuff is just out of this world. 

What would you tell the younger version of yourself now that you're in this position?
Work harder at school. One thing, work harder at school for sure. Just be positive all the time. I thought growing up with my situation, I always said to myself, why me, why me? I think now I tell them, hey, God chose you for a reason. Be in the spot you are. I wish that I got closer to God younger, but it so happened to be later in my life, and it still worked out perfectly. My fiance has helped me grow closer to God too, so it's helpful.

When did you start playing football? 
I played football here and there when I started at the age of 8, 9 years old. I didn't really like it. I was a baseball player in the picture, and my uncle lives out at Arizona State, and he got me an offer for baseball. I was going to play that until my UCL started hurting. I was like, okay, I've got to put in some more.

In Canada football, I just started dominating, so I'm like, I'm going to have to get this sport.