Most Saturdays in The Swamp are filled with excitement and anticipation of the bone chilling entrance with 90,000 fans standing and screaming as the Gators emerge from the tunnel. This Saturday, that will happen but it will be different. Different because each senior one by one will run out of that tunnel for the last time in a Gator uniform. For senior linebacker Daniel McMillian, it took a lot to get to this point, but it was time well spent in Gainesville for the 6-1 linebacker out of Jacksonville. “The feeling I have is, I just feel like I’ve come a long way,” McMillian said early in the week when asked about the emotional rush of senior day, “Over time I grew and I learned a lot. It just makes me think about all of that.”
McMillian was a highly coveted recruit from an area that has produced a lot of talent. Former head coach Will Muschamp got McMillian to commit to the Gators by asking just a few simple questions, “Basically he was just like, ‘you wanna be close to home? Wanna be SEC? It’s the University of Florida, you get a degree from here you can get a job anywhere. You can be an astronaut.”
Early in his career as a Gator McMillian did not get a lot of playing time outside of special teams. But in his sophomore year, he saw the field and played some quality minutes for the Gators. McMillian played in six games in his sophomore year, producing 11 tackles. The bright spot of McMillians career came in the bowl game against East Carolina where he recorded a career high five tackles. In McMillian’s junior year, he played in all 14 of the Gator’s games, serving mostly on special teams. McMillian looked to find his niche with the Gators in 2016, however, much of that year was spent rehabbing an ankle injury that has plagued him for some time now. In the homecoming game this year, McMillian played arguably his best game. Performing in front of a home crowd, McMillian collected four total tackles in helping the Gators secure the solo lead a top of the SEC East.
Not only will McMillian take the field in The Swamp this Saturday for the final time in front of Gator fans, he will also have a chance to play in front of the coach that got him to commit to Florida in the first place, Will Muschamp. For McMillian, playing in front of his old coach and showing out on senior day means everything, “I can get a chance to play against Muschamp and show him how much I’ve improved as a player and as a person.” Playing against Muschamp on senior day is only one of the things McMillian has to look forward to. He can also look forward to playing in front of his parents for one last time, something that every player should have the opportunity to do on their special day.