Bel Air, MD—Calvert Hall (MD) three-star defensive end Daniel Owens hasn’t been able to take a lot of visits through June as the 6-foot-2, 245-pound prospect is still working on dates. Owens did manage to visit a pair of schools two weeks ago as he trekked to both Rutgers and Syracuse and had nothing but good things to say about both.
“Syracuse, it’s up there so it gets a little colder during the winter but obviously I went up during the summer. It was beautiful out there, campus is amazing, the surrounding is amazing and I’ve got family up there too so it was great,” Owens told Inside the Black and Gold. The visit marked his second time on campus, though the first time was during his sister’s college evaluation process. “It was a good refresher.” With tight ends coach Reno Ferri and defensive coordinator Tony White leading the way for Syracuse, Owens did say there was one aspect of Cuse’s campus that stuck out.
“So when you walk up to the campus—I stayed in the Sheraton Hotel. On that same road, there’s the biggest building and it’s I think the oldest building, it looks like the Addams’ family castle. That thing was crazy and right in front of it, they’ve got a heated walkway so in the winter it melts and you can just continue walking. That blew my mind away, I never knew you could heat up a walkway.”
Next was Rutgers as Owens was able to work out for the coaching staff ahead of the campus tour. “I got a workout in, I got to see the campus and facilities both athletic and academics, got to talk with coaches, the whole nine yards. Coach [Jim] Panagos, [Adam] Scheier, those are my really big connects and I had some good conversations with coach [Greg] Schiano from time to time.”
Owens has not been able to secure a date for a visit this month but he’ll be on campus on July 30 when Calvert Hall attends Maryland’s 7-on-7 camp. “We’re going down for the 7-on-7 tournament so while they do 7-on-7, I’m going to do the Big Man camp that day. I’ll go for an unofficial during the summer and then official during the season, that’s my plan.” Defensive line coach Brian Williams is leading the way as Owens sits high on the Terps’ position board. “It’s going well. I would say I have the most contact with him at Maryland, definitely going over film, Zoom calls, trying to build a relationship. Great man, so funny.”
The plan now is to take all five allotted official visits in the fall. “That would be my plan. When the season starts up, see the actual game in the stands, see the atmosphere. That’s the most fun part when the fans are cheering for you and you’re just playing ball.” He’s conscious that spots may not always be available, though, given colleges now have the option between high school prospects, junior college, and the transfer portal.
“I definitely have started to narrow it down. I recognize that with the new NCAA rules, not everyone has the same opportunities all across the board so you’ve got to make an educated decision faster so I have definitely decided to cut some down but I haven’t made like a final decision.” Maryland remains in the mix for the Calvert Hall product, but the odds he releases a public list are slim heading into summer. “There’s definitely some schools but I wouldn’t want to put it out there just yet. I’d say I have a top ten, maybe a top five.”
Owens explains what he believes separates him from other comparable prospects.
“Me personally, I would say coachability. A lot of people have size, a lot of people have speed, a lot of people have the mental portion but can you take what the coaches are saying to you and apply it to the next rep? That’s what I feel that I can bring to the table different than everybody else.”
Owens is rated a three-star prospect and an 87 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the 15th-best prospect in Maryland.