"I attended Friday
Night Lights at the University of Florida," state Daniel Hood. "I enjoyed
Florida's campus but I had a bad camp. They measured me at 6' 3". Anyone
who has ever met me knows that is not true (laugh). Then I weighed and the person
who wrote down my weight wrote me down as twenty pounds lighter. So if Florida
is recruiting me by those numbers, I'm in trouble (laugh). We ran a lot of routes
that are common in the spread offense at the camp. I have to admit; I was lost.
I'm used to an offense that is very run heavy."
On Hood's ride
home he stopped by another SEC school.
"I drove through the
South Carolina campus on my way home. It was ok but I didn't get that good of
a feeling from it."
Did any college campuses stand out to Hood?
"I haven't been to Stanford but I hear it's nice. Ole Miss was one
of the best I've seen. Virginia Tech's buildings all look the same. I like the
way their campus looks. Florida State had a good one and I love their stadium.
Auburn also has an incredible campus."
The recruiting front
has been nothing short of busy for the talented Tennessee star.
"Recruiting
is going good. I need to sit down with my dad and listen to what schools he likes
and then discuss the schools I like. We need to compare notes. Then I will decide
where I'm going to take my visits."
Which schools have stayed
in contact with Scout.com's #19 TE.
"I've stayed in
contact with Ole Miss. I email Kent Austin a lot. I also stay in touch with Auburn.
I didn't make it to their campus this summer, but I went the previous summer.
Our coach is killing us with two-a-days so I've had to step back from recruiting
a bit."
What schools have caught Hood's attention?
"I
would say Ole Miss, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Stanford
and Colorado are the main schools I'm looking at now but that could change."
What position is Knoxville Catholic standout being recruited to play?
"Most schools are recruiting me to play OL. Auburn told me that I
could try OL, DL and TE. Virginia Tech is recruiting me to play DL. Ole Miss is
the only school focusing on me playing TE. This year is my first year to play
TE and I've always wanted to do it. Ole Miss told me that if TE didn't work out
for me they still wanted me because of my athletic ability. I thought that was
pretty cool."
Does Hood have a favorite position?
"It's
hard to say. I've always wanted to play TE. We'll just have to see how it works
out."
What coaches have made an impact with the nationally
ranked TE?
"I really like Coach Kent Austin at Ole Miss. Everything
you hear about Coach Houston Nutt being a players coach is true. Meeting him in
person was amazing. He told my mom that he would make sure I had a 3.0 and that
she would get weekly updates on me. He also said if I started missing class, he'd
personally wait for me there everyday. He's intense. Coach Austin also told me
that Coach Nutt never cusses his players. No one likes being cusses out so I thought
that was pretty special."
Does Hood have a timetable on his
decision?
"I'm not sure. All the schools are even. I hope to
take all my visits but if a school stands out and I know its right for me then
I will commit. All of the schools offer me a great opportunity. They have fantastic
academics. I need to trim my list with my father. We plan to do that soon. He
will be a major factor in my recruitment. He will be 49% of the decision and I
will be 51%."