Demery has "family" ties in Oxford

Despite just now finishing up his sophomore year of high school, Parish Episcopal (Texas) safety Daniel Demery is quite familiar with the recruiting process. The 6-foot-1, 181-pounder holds notable offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Ole Miss, SMU, Texas, Southern Cal and Vanderbilt, among others.

But, despite the early offers, Demery is taking it easy for now.

"I'm taking it one day at a time," Demery said. "Enjoying the process."

The Dallas native received his offer from Ole Miss and new defensive line coach Randall Joyner last week. That exchange, however, was pretty laid back. Joyner and Demery know each other pretty well. The Rebel staffer coached Demery in Pee Wee football and was his first trainer as he prepared for high school football back when he was 10-years old.

"He was my first tackle football coach, he and his brother," Demery said. "Over the years he's become family."

Joyner accepted the defensive line coach job at Ole Miss and quickly got in touch with the Texas defensive back to let him know he had an offer from the Rebels.

"The conversation was mostly about stuff other than football," Demery said. "But we have built a strong relationship over the years and we talk a lot."

Demery has yet to see many campuses due to the pandemic and the NCAA dead period, but he is already hearing good things about Ole Miss and Oxford.

"Coach Joyner told me that when he got there people were calling his name out in the streets," Demery said. "People he didn't even know were treating him like family already. ...That's really cool to hear."

Even though he has yet to receive an offer from them, Demery said he hears from Texas A&M a lot.

"The Aggies and SMU talk to me a lot," Demery said. "I've also been to Baylor and SMU's campuses before everything shut down."

But, despite the Texas flavor to his unofficial visits and ongoing communication, he is not shy about looking outside of the state limits.

"I'm willing to go anywhere," Demery said. "I will be looking to see which program benefits me the most and that's where I will go."

Demery is mostly being recruited as a safety, but some are talking to him about playing receiver, too. In 2020, he made nine receptions for 121 yards, but it was the other side where he really shined. On defense, he made 62 total tackles and defended five passes for a Parish Episcopal team that went 10-1.

"As for now, I prefer defense," Demery said. "I like being physical and hitting people."