Eric McDaniel was hired as an assistant coach to oversee App State's defensive line in January 2024.

The 2024 season included a first-team All-Sun Belt honor for defensive end Santana Hopper, who ranked No. 1 among Sun Belt defensive linemen with a season-long defensive grade of 82.7, according to PFF. Joshua Donald made an impact at nose as a newcomer, while Michael Fletcher and Shawn Collins joined Donald in making big plays in home wins against Georgia State, ODU and James Madison. Those four players combined for 16 sacks to help lead a defense that had 19 sacks in the team’s five victories.
 
McDaniel, who was a quality control coach at App State from 2016-17, returned to Boone after stints at Louisville, Army, and, most recently, Troy. As defensive line coach for the Trojans, he contributed to a record-setting defense that helped them win Sun Belt championships in 2022 and 2023.
 
For his efforts at Troy in 2023, McDaniel was named one of five finalists for FootballScoop's National Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
 
Under McDaniel's direction, Troy's defensive line helped the Trojans set a Sun Belt record with 47 sacks in 2023, a total that ranked No. 2 nationally. Defensive end Javon Solomon earned All-America honors and led all FBS players with 16 sacks. Another Trojan lineman, T.J. Jackson, earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors.
 
As a whole, Troy's defense ranked in the top 10 nationally in points allowed, sacks and tackles for loss per game on the way to an 11-3 record and a win over App State in the Sun Belt Championship Game.
 
A pair of McDaniel's defensive linemen shined in 2022 as Jackson and Will Choloh earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors. 
 
As a defensive unit, Troy held all 14 of its opponents to under their season average in scoring, including three of the top 25 scoring teams in the country – UTSA, Western Kentucky and App State. The Trojans limited UTSA to just 10 offensive points in the 2022 Cure Bowl after the Roadrunners entered the game averaging 38.7 points per game. Troy ranked eighth nationally in turnovers gained, 14th in sacks and eighth in scoring defense.
 
The 2022 Trojans posted a 12-2 record, captured the Sun Belt Conference championship and won the Cure Bowl to end the season on an 11-game winning streak. Troy finished the season ranked in a major poll for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 20 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
  
McDaniel helped guide Army to a 9-4 record in 2021, capped by a victory over Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army ranked 17th nationally by holding opponents to just 328.4 yards per game, 36th by allowing just 22.3 points per game and 17th by allowing only 117.2 yards per game on the ground. The Black Knights also set the school record for sacks in a season with 30.
 
Army's defense specialized in getting off the field and limited opposing offenses to just 24:28 of possession time each game, tied for the lowest in the country. 

McDaniel was a quality control coach under Scott Satterfield at Louisville for two seasons after two seasons in a similar role under Satterfield at App State working with the Mountaineers' defensive line.
 
Louisville improved by over 10 points per game and more than doubled its sack total from the 2018 season in McDaniel's first year with the Cardinals. At App State, the defense ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense at 17.8 points per game, holding the opposition to 10 or fewer points in seven contests. The Mountaineers also ranked No. 1 in fewest big plays allowed and 17th nationally with 38 sacks.
 
Before getting his start at the FBS level with App State, McDaniel was a graduate assistant at Muskingum for two seasons at the NCAA Division III level.
 
McDaniel graduated with his degree in health and kinesiology in 2014 from Purdue, where he played in 15 games for the Boilermakers from 2009-13. Clark was Purdue's offensive line coach from 2009-12. McDaniel earned his master's degree in education from Muskingum in 2016.
 
McDANIEL AT A GLANCE

Coaching Experience
2014-15: Muskingum (Graduate assistant)
2016-17: App State (Quality control)
2019-20: Louisville (Quality control)
2021: Army (Defensive line)
2022-23: Troy (Defensive line)
2024: App State (Defensive line)
 
Playing Experience
2009-13: Purdue (defensive line)
 
Alma Mater: Purdue, 2014
Hometown: Calhoun, Ga.
Birthdate: Sept. 8, 1990
Wife: Rachel
Twitter: @CoachE98