Southlake (Texas) Carroll athlete T.J. McDaniel entered Thursday with just one offer from a Division II school.

The promising two-way prospect ended the day with an offer from the Clemson Tigers in tow.

“It’s an amazing offer, especially coming from one of the top four teams in the nation,” McDaniel told The Clemson Insider. “I’m super thankful for the offer, especially since I only had a D-II offer. They saw past that, and they saw my talent and my athleticism. They just said that they had to offer me on the spot whenever they saw me.”

McDaniel (6-0, 183) wasn’t really on the Tigers’ radar coming into the day. The class of 2019 recruit said Clemson hadn’t shown interest before, not even in the form of mail.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and safeties coach Mickey Conn stopped by Southlake Carroll on Thursday, but they were there to see a couple of other prospects.

Carroll coach Hal Wasson helped the coaches discover McDaniel, who starred at running back against Texas 6A competition as a junior last season.

“Coach Wasson was like hey, I’ve got to show you this kid,” McDaniel said. “And he brought (the coaches) to the indoor (facility) where the skills were working out. We were actually running 200 meters that day, so I got to show off my speed a little bit. … Then Coach Wasson said, ‘You’ve got to see this kid’s film.’ So they walked back in the office and they watched my film, and after five minutes they said they had seen enough and they were going to offer me.”

After the workout ended, Wasson told McDaniel to stop by his office where the coaches wanted to speak with him.

That’s when Venables surprised McDaniel with the verbal offer.

“I really wasn’t expecting to get an offer,” McDaniel said. “It’s really awesome to know that they evaluated my talent and they didn’t care how many other offers I had, what other offers I had, how many stars I had or if I was going to the U.S. Army All-American Game. That doesn’t matter to them. They evaluate talent and they see who’s an athlete, who fits their program.

“They saw me and they saw that I fit in their program, and I really respect that. It was great to hear because that’s kind of what I’m looking for in coaches.”

Last season, McDaniel rushed for 1,868 yards and 23 touchdowns while playing defensive back as well.

McDaniel said Clemson offered him as an athlete who could potentially play on either side of the ball at the next level.

“They probably want me more on the defense, but I think when they offered me, they offered me as an athlete,” he said. “So if I end up committing there and going there, they would probably evaluate me at what they want me at and what they need me at.”

Football runs in the family for McDaniel. His older brother Cam played four seasons at Notre Dame and is now a running back for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL. His middle brother Gavin started his career at Washington before transferring to Azusa (Calif.) Pacific.

T.J. said Cam has served as an inspiration and a mentor to him.

“I’ve always tried to replicate myself to be like him as a running back,” T.J. said. “I want to be better than Cam, and I hope one day to be better than Cam. … He’s a really good role model to look after. It’s good having him as an older brother because I get to ask him for a lot of wisdom. He’s been through it already at Notre Dame, and he’s been through the recruiting process. He’s a professional athlete, so just having that access as your older brother is something special.”

Expect T.J. to pick up plenty other offers moving forward now that Clemson’s offer has shed more light on him as a prospect.

“I mean when your first offer is from one of the top four teams in the nation, that puts some other schools’ ears up,” he said. “So I’m excited to see what happens in the future, too.”

Clemson also offered T.J.’s sophomore teammate, 2020 cornerback R.J. Mickens. T.J. said both he and Mickens are planning to visit Clemson in the near future.

Besides Clemson, T.J. is getting interest from Houston, Michigan State and Notre Dame. He visited Notre Dame last season, Michigan State last week and intends to visit Houston soon as well.

Azusa Pacific gave him his first offer in November.