McDaniel spent five seasons with the 49ers, mostly as the run game coordinator. His tenure concluded with their second NFC Championship Game appearance in three seasons; McDaniel served as the offensive coordinator the season before he left to become the Dolphins' head coach.
McDaniel was born in Aurora, Colorado, in 1983. He graduated from Smoky Hill High School in 2001.[1] He played college football as a wide receiver at Yale, where he graduated with a degree in history.[2][3]
McDaniel was hired in 2005 at the age of 22 by his hometown Denver Broncos as a coaching intern under head coach Mike Shanahan.[4] The Broncos in 2005 finished with what was at the time their best record since John Elway's retirement six years earlier, at 13–3. In the postseason, they defeated the defending back-to-back Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 27–13 in the Divisional Round before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 34–17 in the AFC Championship Game.[5]
In 2006, McDaniel was hired by the Houston Texans as an offensive assistant under head coach Gary Kubiak, whom McDaniel worked alongside at the Denver Broncos a season earlier.[6] During his tenure in Houston, McDaniel assisted three different offensive coordinators and future head coaches; Troy Calhoun, Mike Sherman, and Kyle Shanahan.
In 2011, McDaniel was hired by the Washington Redskins as an offensive assistant, reuniting with Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan, who was McDaniel's mentor six seasons earlier on the Denver Broncos.[8] It was there where McDaniel worked alongside three other future head coaches: Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt LaFleur. In 2013, McDaniel was promoted to wide receivers coach following the departure of Ike Hilliard, who left to join the Buffalo Bills in the same position.[9] McDaniel would not be retained under new head coach Jay Gruden.
In 2017, McDaniel was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as their run game coordinator under his long-time associate and new head coach Kyle Shanahan, whom he worked alongside for a total of nine seasons on the Texans, Redskins, Browns, and Falcons.[12][13] During the 2019 season, McDaniel and the Niners appeared in Super Bowl LIV, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31–20.[14] On January 18, 2021, McDaniel was promoted to offensive coordinator, following the departure of passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur, who left to become the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.[15]
The Miami Dolphins hired McDaniel as their fourteenth head coach on February 6, 2022.[16] On September 11, 2022, McDaniel made his regular season head coaching debut against the New England Patriots and led the Dolphins to a 20–7 victory, marking McDaniel's first victory as a head coach.[17] McDaniel became the first Dolphins head coach since Nick Sabanin2005 to win his first game as Miami's head coach, and the first in franchise history to win a season opener as a rookie head coach.[18]
McDaniel also helped the Dolphins defeat the Bills for the first time since the 2018 season.[19]
McDaniel led the Dolphins to a 9–8 record, giving Miami their first playoff berth since 2016.[20][21] The Dolphins fell to the Bills 34–31 despite a late rally in the fourth quarter of the Wild Card Round.[22]
McDaniel led the Dolphins to a historic 70–20 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the 2023 season, the first time a team scored 70 or more points in the Super Bowl era.[23] The team recorded an NFL-record 726 offensive yards, the first to record 700 or more yards since 1951.[24]
McDaniel is biracial. His mother is white and his father is black.[25]
McDaniel grew up close friends with comedian Dan SoderinAurora, Colorado.[26] McDaniel's relationship to the NFL began when, as a child seeking autographs at the Broncos' training camp at the University of Northern Colorado, he lost his Charlotte Hornets ball cap. After Broncos staffer Gary McCune bought him a replacement, McCune met and married McDaniel's mother.[27]
McDaniel has spoken of struggles with alcohol dependency and depression during his adult life. He has been sober since 2016.[28]
McDaniel and his wife Katie have one daughter.[29]
