McDaniel was a four-year letterman (1992-1995) for the East Carolina Pirates before moving onto the NFL. He ended his Pirate tenure with 112 tackles and 13 interceptions, pacing the Pirates in that category from 1993-1995 (2 in 1993, 5 in 1994, and 6 in 1995).
McDaniel was a four-year standout (1992-1995) for the East Carolina Pirates before entering the NFL. He concluded his time with the team by recording 112 tackles and 13 interceptions, ranking first among the team in those statistics from 1993 to 1995 (two in 1993, five in 1994, six in 1995).