Jermaine McDaniel Jr looks like a very promising prospect for the Redblacks in 2024. He is a 6’4 240 pound edge rusher who began his college career at Appalachian State before transferring to North Carolina A&T. During his time in college he collected 19.5 sacks and 80 tackles while suffering with some injuries along the way. This caught the attention of teams in multiple leagues.

Jermaine McDaniel Jr.

After his college career McDaniel was invited to the HBCU Combine, and would later participate in a pro day. He would up the following personal bests:

40-yard dash: 4.87

10-yard split: 1.68

20-yard shuttle: 4.70

3-cone drill: 7.95

Broad Jump: 10’05

These numbers didn’t do him any favors in the NFL Draft process, but in the USFL process the Generals seemed to focus more on what he could do than what he couldn’t do. He is relentless, and defeats blocks often because he refuses to stop fighting his way toward the ball. Although McDaniel was selected by the Generals, he never ended up signing with the team for the 2023 season, and didn’t get the chance in 2024 given the way the USFL and XFL merger came to pass.

McDaniel is just the latest of many recent USFL or XFL players or draft prospects that the Redblacks have brought in to fill out their 2024 roster. In a time when many fans of the CFL looked at the USFL and XFL as a distant league that stood no threat to the CFL, we are now starting to see how many players would truly be on CFL rosters if not for the existence of it’s American counterparts as NFL alternatives.

McDaniel, Kaleb Oliver, Jamere Edwards, Kylin Hill, Joe Walker, Deyon Sizer, Jaylon McClain-Sapp, all have made their way north for the 2024 season. Most of these guys were directly related to their team no longer existing in the UFL, while some were displaced due to others coming available who would have otherwise been on rosters.

Highlights