Army turns to new starting quarterback Bryson Daily for season opener at Louisiana Monroe
Bryson Daily has always seen himself as a football player, and his mission in life has never been more clear than right now.
Daily has landed the coveted job as quarterback for Army. The junior will make his seventh career appearance and first as a starter on Saturday, with much scrutiny and under the unbearable heat of a Louisiana summer’s night.
A product of Abernathy, Texas, Daily played a variety of positions for his father, Darrell, on the local high school team. In fact, Bryson was being recruited a lot as a linebacker before West Point came calling with the promise of a lifetime.
”Getting the offer here, as a quarterback, was a dream come true,’’ Daily said, “that they believed in me at that position … That meant the world to me.’’
He played the 2020 season at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School, and then bided his time during his first two seasons at West Point. He saw action once as a freshman and five times as a late-game reserve last season, providing a glimpse of his athleticism and running prowess.
Daily was grateful for his opportunities in 2022 but readily admits he was not ready to be the take-charge leader, behind the likes of proven starters Christian Anderson, Tyhier Tyler, Jemel Jones and Cade Ballard the past two years.
“I wasn’t ready to be ‘the guy’ but getting that experience before this season was super valuable and it helped my growth a lot,’’ Daily said.
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It’s funny that Daily says his predecessors understood the triple-option offense better than he did because now he’s in charge of a revamped offense that still wants to emphasize the run while operating out of a shotgun formation. There’s added pressure because there is zero varsity experience in the quarterback ranks behind him.
New offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher, for one, is not worried.
“I know he’s probably pumped up to be that guy,’’ Thatcher said, “because I know that’s obviously everybody’s goal but it hasn’t really changed him. I think even before he was named the starter he started to feel that confidence.’’
Thatcher commends Daily’s hard work ethic and the way he practices at full speed.
“Bryson is a great competitor,’’ said head coach Jeff Monken. “He’s really tough … he’s mentally tough, he’s physically tough, he’s a rugged runner.’’
Officially, Daily was credited with 12 carries for 163 yards in 2022, an average of 13.6 yards, but he also had a couple huge gainers called back on penalties committed behind him. He missed connecting on his lone passing attempt, but figures to get more opportunities in a new offense that will likely exceed the eight pass attempts per game of a year ago.
“He has a sense of confidence that our guys can feel when he steps in there,’’ Monken said. “He’s not a real vocal guy but he’s not afraid to talk in front of the group. He’s not always running around and chirping at everybody. He just has a confidence about him that I got to believe in.’’
The good news for Army is the offense returns a great deal of experience and that will certainly help Daily’s transition to the starting role.
“He's doing great,’’ Thatcher said. “It's not like he just came out of nowhere. He was a guy that traveled last year. He's a guy that saw some game reps. He's been here the whole time. He's worked out with these guys. He's been a great leader in the weight room.
More: Quarterback Bryson Daily is tops on depth chart midway through Army football preseason
“I don't think anybody is surprised or trying to figure out who Bryson is – they know who he is and they know what he's about. They know when he steps in that huddle he's ready to roll and he's about business and they're ready to follow him.’’
Despite the glare of a season opener, on the road, as a new starter, Daily says he’s pretty calm about the whole thing.
“Coach Thatcher just preaches that there's never any pressure, that you're just playing the game, one game at a time,’’ Daily said. “It's no different than practice and keeping that mindset. … ‘Cool head, hot heart’ is something I always say – it just allows us keep a level head and not let the emotional game get to us.’’
More: College football TV, radio, web schedules for 2023
Daily can hardly wait for Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff in Monroe.
“I'm pumped,’’ he said. “This is a dream come true, something I've been dreaming of my whole life and it's finally here and I'm excited to play ball.’’
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
KICKOFF
Who: Army Black Knights (0-0) at Louisiana Monroe Warhawks (0-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET Saturday
TV: NFL Network, NFL+
Radio: WBNR 1260-AM, WLNA 1420-AM, WGHQ 920-AM, 92.5-FM
Web: Knight Vision; TuneIn app; Varsity app
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army quarterback Bryson Daily excited for first college start Saturday
