In the renewal of the “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes, Miami wide receiver C.J. Daniels made an acrobatic touchdown catch so impressive that it felt illegal.
Daniels made the leaping backward one-handed go-ahead grab with 12 seconds left in the first half as he tumbled into the end zone on Sunday. Tenth-ranked Miami (1–0) went up 14–7 and stayed ahead the rest of the way, except for a brief 24–24 tie, in a 27–24 victory over the No. 6 Irish (0–1).
Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal warned reporters afterward that this was just the beginning for Daniels.
“It was funny when we were leaving the locker room, he’s like, ‘Coach, just getting started, man. Let’s keep this thing going.’ He epitomizes what you want as a team player. I absolutely love and appreciate CJ Daniels,” Cristobal said.
Daniels made the catch of the year—at least for week one of the college football season—but he hadn’t made a touchdown catch since December 2023 before Sunday. He played four years at Liberty from 2020 to 2023, and his last touchdown grab came in the Conference USA championship game for the Flames that season.
Daniels had a lot of success at Liberty, with 106 receptions for 1,959 yards and 21 touchdowns in 42 games, but his move up to LSU didn’t go as well in 2024. With the Tigers, Daniels had 42 receptions for 480 yards and no touchdowns in 11 games.
Cristobal saw the talent in Daniels, though the receiver’s move up from a Group of Five team to Power Four didn’t impress. Daniels transferred to Miami after the 2024 season, and his debut consisted of five receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown, including the 20-yard highlight score.
“I’ve been chasing CJ for two years,” Cristobal said. “Every time he’s in the portal, I’m missing him. We finally got him, and what a play he made. Unbelievable.”
“Since the day he got here—and his foot was banged up, and it was a while before he got on the field—he was an exceptional leader in that room,” Cristobal added. “That guy took over the room, and he established regiment and culture.”
Daniels is the most-seasoned of the Hurricanes’ receivers in his sixth collegiate season. He was a two-star recruit out of Georgia in 2020, but Daniels is now a leader as a College Football Playoff contender.
“He had those guys in there in the early hours watching the film, had those guys taking care of their bodies, teaching those guys how to track the ball and how to play the game at a higher level, which is related to the opposite side coverages, what do they need, where are the leverages, where are the soft spots,” Cristobal said. “CJ Daniels is an absolute pro.”
Daniels is generally projected as a third-day NFL Draft pick, but he has a whole season ahead of him to impress scouts. It won’t hurt that he’s catching passes from Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck, who has high-round potential despite a down season last year at Georgia before he transferred to Miami.
Beck impressed in his debut with 20–31 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He has confidence in what Daniels can do, but Sunday’s big play came as quite a surprise.
“I was on my back and then I saw him in the end zone, so I had no idea he caught it like that,” Beck told reporters afterward. “I’m over there turned up because I threw a touchdown or whatever, and I’m getting hype, and then I saw it on the big screen, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there is no way he just caught that.’”
“But he always tells me, ‘Man, put it up there, I’ll go get it.' He proved that tonight,” Beck added.
