A record-breaking receiver and state champion in track at Norcross High School, Juan Daniels had decided in 1992 that he’d attend Auburn University. Then the Tigers were dealt an impending NCAA probation. Spurning his childhood rooting interest, Daniels arrived at Georgia, largely considered the most highly recruited football prospect from Gwinnett County since Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers (Duluth HS to South Carolina) from 15 years before.
In only three seasons from 1994-1996, Daniels made 120 career catches, including 16 for touchdowns, for 1,975 yards. He ended his career ranked third in school history in career receiving yards and second in career touchdown receptions.
Originally published in March of 2017, and updated in May 2020, UGASports caught up with Daniels from his home in Buford.
UGASports: You were very highly recruited as a receiver. Still, it didn’t necessarily start off that way, right?
Daniels: Yeah, I was a lineman from the third grade all the way up to the eighth grade. When I started ninth grade, I began as the team’s tackle, but was also the punter. When we were scrimmaging against the B-team, the snapper hiked the ball over my head when I was punting. I ran back and got the ball, turned around, and pretty much outran the B-team all the way for a touchdown. My coach then said, “Um, we’re going to move you.”
UGASports: Besides Georgia, what other colleges did you consider attending?
Daniels: It was Auburn all the way. I grew up an Auburn fan. My cousin, Greg Pratt, played there in 1982, and wound up dying of a heat stroke (Pratt, a sophomore fullback from Albany, Ga., passed away after collapsing during running tests the day before Auburn’s fall camp of 1983 was to start.). When I was in high school, everyone knew I was going to Auburn. If you were to go to my house, there was Auburn stuff everywhere. And, when I say “everywhere”—articles were put up everywhere in my room, and everything I wanted for Christmas was Auburn-related. In fact, one Christmas, my aunt, Greg’s mom, gave me his Auburn letterman’s jacket.
UGASports: What changed your mind?
Daniels: My senior year in high school, it was looking like Auburn was going to be put on probation because of the Eric Ramsey situation (Ramsey, a player for the Tigers during the early 1990s, secretly tape-recorded conversations between Auburn coaches, a booster, and himself, revealing an elaborate, illegal payment scheme to players.). So Auburn told me they wouldn’t be going to bowl games or be on TV for a couple of years. During that time, SMU hadn’t been too far removed from getting the “Death Penalty,” so I was a little concerned the same thing could happen to Auburn. I took a trip to Florida and loved it. Then I took a trip to Georgia—and there, I fell in love with the atmosphere, the people, the players, everything about it. I said that this (UGA) is where I need to be.
UGASports: After redshirting in 1992, you then only played on special teams the following season. Considering then-quarterback Eric Zeier was throwing the ball all over the place during that time, was it frustrating not to see time at wide receiver your first two years, especially considering how highly touted you had been?
Daniels: It actually wasn’t. It was more of biding my time, and a maturity issue. Here was the deal, and it was the same thing while in high school: I just wasn’t a very good practice player. I don’t know if it was because of a lack of focus, or what. In fact, going into my redshirt sophomore year—and I didn’t know this at the time—my [position] coach, Darryl Drake, went to my high school coach and asked, “What do I need to do to motivate Juan to want to be out on the field?” My coach responded that whatever you see in practice is not indicative of what you’ll see in games—there’s a switch that turned on for me for games. I was called a “gamer.” All I can say is that once I got in the stadium, and on the field, and heard the fans and the band playing—it’s kind of crazy, a lot going on. But instead, to me, it was the most peaceful, calming situation that compelled me to play at a completely different level versus practice.
UGASports: However, seeing the field at receiver for the first time (at South Carolina, 1994 season opener), you had a seemingly memorable first collegiate touchdown reception. Do you recall that scoring play?
Daniels: Usually, a receiver has a route that he absolutely hates. Mine was the curl route. I hated running those. The likelihood of me scoring on a curl, I would’ve been like, there’s just no way. It was really hard for me to catch curls in practice. When Eric [Zeier] and the rest of the quarterbacks would throw me curls, it was laughable. So, yes, I remember the touchdown, because it was on a curl route. I turned back and almost had to reach behind my head to catch the pass from Eric. I then turned around, made a couple of moves, and sprinted into the end zone.
UGASports: The three seasons you played, Georgia had a combined record of just over .500 (17-16-1), but still there were some memorable moments during that time. Personally, what was your most memorable moment?
Daniels: I would say the Auburn game in 1994. They had won 20 games in a row, including a few weeks before, when they had beaten Florida in Gainesville. Whereas when we had played Florida the game before in Gainesville, we had gotten blown out (52-14). We entered with no chance at Auburn, and they were beating us for most of the game (Georgia trailed 23-9 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter). Then, I caught a 70-something-yard (79-yard) touchdown on a post down the middle of the field, where Eric hit me right on point. We scored another touchdown and the game eventually ended in a tie (23-23). But we celebrated like we won that game (laughing). Growing up an Auburn fan, playing in the Tigers’ stadium, and tying that great Auburn team, it was just an amazing moment for me—a moment close to my heart.
UGASports: What was your transition like going from Ray Goff (head coach until fired following the 1995 season) to head coach Jim Donnan as a fifth-year senior?
Daniels: For some players, it was definitely a shock that Coach Goff was forced out. By 1995, I was really getting into the groove of what was going on. But all of a sudden, there’s a coaching change—a new philosophy, a new offense. I was put at a different position (flanker from split end), which was certainly fine, because you have to adjust as a receiver. Coach Donnan had his idea of what he wanted the offense to look like, and that was also certainly fine. But I went from being a “focus” player (Juan led the team in receiving in 1995), to kind of a support or role player, or a decoy [in 1996]—and that was kind of difficult for me.
UGASports: You were literally knocked out of the Mississippi State game in 1996, suffering a concussion. For a few games after that, you struggled getting open, catching passes, etc. Did your struggles have to do with you still dealing with the effects from the concussion?
Daniels: After it (getting knocked out) happened, I never watched what exactly took place on the field. I thought I had gotten laid out from a defender, so I was kind of skittish in trying to catch passes to avoid the same thing happening again. Toward the end of the season, I watched the film and realized it wasn’t the blow which made me concussed. On the play, I got hit from behind and my helmet flew off. I then fell to the ground where the whiplash of my head hitting the ground is what knocked me out. That’s when something clicked to where I realized I didn’t have to freak out about getting knocked out by a defender, because it wasn’t a player who knocked me out in the first place.
UGASports: With things obviously clicking in your final two games at Georgia—against Ole Miss and Georgia Tech—you combined to make 13 catches for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Then, you were selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game on Christmas Day, where you had another memorable game, right?
Daniels: Yes, playing for the Gray, I think I caught two touchdowns from Valdosta State’s Lance Funderburke. Lance and I have been friends ever since. In fact, we’ve coached against one another in little league as our sons have competed against each other in football.
UGASports: You had a couple of close calls playing football professionally, nearly making the Indianapolis Colts followed by the Cincinnati Bengals’ regular-season rosters. Where did you go from there?
Daniels: The very next season, I was in NFL Europe starting off with Frankfurt. Three weeks into the season, I went over to Amsterdam on a Wednesday night and was starting on Friday. I caught a touchdown pass from Kurt Warner which now, looking back, is kind of cool. I played one season of Arena ball, but then my wife got pregnant. I decided instead of trying to bounce around, waiting to see what happened, I better get a job and start taking care of my family. So I started in the insurance business.
UGASports: Tell me about your family.
Daniels: I met my wife, Hadli, during our freshman year in college. We started off just as friends before dating after college. She was a volleyball player at UGA. (The 1992 SEC Freshman of the Year, and a First Team All-SEC honoree the next three seasons, the former Hadli Anstine is one of the greatest volleyball players in Bulldogs’ history.) She teaches and is the volleyball coach at Buford High School. We have three children, including two boys: Aubrey and Ashton. (This past December, Ashton, a sophomore quarterback at Buford, came off the bench to lead the Wolves to a 17-14 overtime win over Warner Robins in the Class 5-A state championship game.) We also have a girl, Braylen.
UGASports: Along with the Gwinnett Sports Hall of Fame, you’ve also been inducted into the National Flag Football Hall of Fame. What’s that about?
Daniels: One day, I was just approached by a friend, who said they had a flag football tournament coming up and needed a body. It kind of took off from there. It’s just flag football, and a lot of the players are former athletes who played professional football. I played for 10 years (2001-2010), where it was more of just a hobby. The annual finals are played in Florida, where the teams I played on won a few national championships. One year, I was the MVP—and I eventually was inducted into its hall of fame.
UGASports: You mentioned that you were in insurance. What do you do now?
Daniels: I’ve been a pharmaceutical sales rep. for more than 15 years. I’m currently with AstraZeneca.
UGASports: It sounds like you’ve got plenty on your plate. Still, is there anything else you enjoy doing?
Daniels: Obviously, I love football—the overall sport. But I really enjoy coaching it, as well, in Gwinnett County. I’m also really involved in my church (located in Gwinnett County), where I’ve taught Sunday School. Coaching and teaching are just some ways I try to be a part of the Gwinnett community as much as I can. I try to give back to a community that gave a lot to me.
