Haaziq Daniels makes most out of opportunity at Air Force
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Haaziq Daniels was never supposed to be the starting quarterback for the Air Force Academy football team. He was thrust into the position in 2020, but he has never looked back.
Coming to Air Force, Daniels was lightly recruited out of high school with his only other two offers coming from Army and West Virginia State, a Division II football school.
His freshman season at Air Force was riddled with injuries, but he was never supposed to be the starter anyways. He ended his first season at Air Force with no snaps on the field and no stats.
Heading into his sophomore season, Daniels was buried on the depth chart and he was yet again not expected to see the field much or even at all that year. The starter heading into that year was Donald Hammond III, who had been starting the previous three seasons but suddenly was ruled ineligible before the season began.
This got Daniels closer to that starting spot, but it still wasn’t his yet. Covid-19 hit the team hard and several other quarterbacks on the roster were unable to play, but there was still one left in Daniels. The starting spot had fallen right into his lap.
“I think it was a big change, but it was something my coaches got me ready for and just made sure I was ready and the team was behind me,” Daniels said in an article with The Gazette. “I felt like everybody was on my side, so it was a smooth transition.”
The shortened six-game season last year featured Daniels playing in every game where he led the team to a 3-3 season. His leadership and play was enough for him to be the starter for the 2021 season despite his mild success. Daniels definitely has delivered in the 2021 season, leading Air Force to a record of 9-3, setting them up for a bowl game to end the year.
Air Force is known as a run-first offense, but that plays right to Daniel’s strength. He threw for nearly 1,000 yards during the season but he also ran for 705 yards and nine touchdowns. His head coach, Troy Calhoun, had only good things to say about Daniels following the end of the regular season.
“I’ll say this, I think, to his credit, the response and really the depth of Haaziq was impressive,” Calhoun said in an article with The Gazette. “His courage, his determination. He reached deep. And then we blocked well, too.”
Daniels was never supposed to be in this position of leading Air Force to a bowl game, but here he is. He made the most out of that opportunity that came about for him two years ago and he ran with it. After two successful seasons as the quarterback for Air Force, the sky will be the limit for him and Air Force football for the next two seasons to come with Daniels at the helm. Watch for Daniels to turn into one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the Mountain West Conference, and for Air Force to be a strong contender in the conference for the seasons to come.
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