[Bernini]

Return of the Mack

4/22
by: floridafb.com

Having the opportunity to watch so many football players throughout the course of a year during the football season, you tend to come up with athlete who many will not find until the off-season combine tour arrives in the spring.

Here is a football player we had the pleasure of seeing for the first time during his sophomores season, watching Dade Christian during an unbeaten regular season, and deep into the playoffs.

Today, IN THE HUDDLE heads back to south Florida, where like the rest of the state, will one again be a hotbed for football talent during the 2008 season.

IN THE HUDDLE has taken you to practice sessions in Callahan, pre-game workouts in Freeport, and camps and combines from Osprey to the Miami area, where Mack and his teammates will once again go after a spot in the 1A state finals in 2008.

THE MACK REPORT
NAME: Daniel Mack
SCHOOL: Dade Christian
CITY: Miami
POSITION: LB
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 190
40 TIME: 4.56 (Reported)
HEAD COACH: Mike Sonneborn

SCOUTING MACK: Having watched this talented football player in game action twice over the past year, there is little doubt that his athletic ability pushes him toward the top, and his skill level, gives him an opportunity to be one of the best in the state for the 2008 season.

While looking at him and proclaiming that he is a safety is the canned response that many “amateur” recruiting analysts would say because of his size, but very much like University of Miami freshman Sean Spence, this is a smart football player who makes plays all over the field.

At a time when he is getting stronger and bigger, his speed, knowledge of the game and ability to read offenses is the reason why he was part of 70 percent of the Crusaders’ plays last season, often initiating or helping to make a play.

He plays the run extremely well; cutting through blocks and keeping his head up and pointed toward the play. His athletic ability and overall strength gives him a huge advantage. He also anticipates so well, which gives him another major advantage over other linebackers who rely on strength and size - alone!

The most amazing part of his abilities at the linebacker position revolve around his knack of dropping into pass coverage, and while some backs get the best of him, it doesn’t happen too often. As he picks up coverage packages, he will get better and better, and those who get by him at some combine skills drill, will NOT do it in game conditions, where he steps his game up - in a major way!

MACK‘S MEMORIES: In a year where there were some impressive seniors on the Dade Christian team, Mack found a way to rise above with 140 tackles, 6 sacks and 4 fumble recoveries.

In addition to what he has accomplished on the football field, this gifted athlete also gets it done for the track team where he runs the 100, 200 and is part of the 4x100 relay team.

At the end of his sophomore year, at the MSLSports.net Combine, he was singled out as one of the top players to watch for in the future at a time when nobody had yet heard about him. He was there with a pair of 2008 standouts Shawn Abuhoff and Chris Cunningham. If you’ve viewed our many evaluations, that is something that we have made a reputation on: finding the hidden gems!

WHAT THE COLLEGE RECRUITERS ARE SAYING: “Finding a player like Daniel is not someone you will discover at a combine or at a junior day. This is an athlete who you need to watch play the sport of football and see the many little things he does to improve. This could be on the huge discoveries of the Class of 2009. Watch and see!”

HIS BAGS ARE PACKED: Thanks to our friend Charles Fishbein, who discovers by far more talent in this state than anyone else, programs such as UCF, Clemson, Rutgers, USF and FIU after Fishbein put his name out there this off season. Other programs such as Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee