Bill Peebles, the football coach at Indiana’s Cathedral High School, recalls seeing Danny O’Neil as a first-grader running around at a youth football camp.
Peebles has watched O’Neil grow. And throw.
“The thing that pops out is his arm talent,” Peebles said by phone on Friday morning. “Before you see anything, you see how well he throws the ball.
“He’s a good athlete. The question as he was growing up was, is he going to be big enough? His dad’s about 5-foot-8. His mom’s about 5-foot-3.
“He ends up 6-1.”
Big enough. And plenty big for new San Diego State coach Sean Lewis.
O’Neil, who is rated by 247Sports.com as a three-star prospect and the 34th-best high school quarterback prospect in the nation, is visiting San Diego State this weekend on a recruiting visit. He decommitted from Colorado days before Lewis, the Buffaloes’ offensive coordinator, was hired as the Aztecs’ new boss.
The NCAA’s early signing period is less than two weeks away.
“He has some other irons in the fire,” Peebles said, mentioning Northwestern and Miami (Ohio), “but in the college landscape right now, the college coaches are focused on transfers and portal.
“I think Danny does want to find a spot to land in here in the near future. … I think that’s very good for San Diego State and Coach Lewis.”
O’Neil quarterbacked Cathedral to a pair of state championship appearances in three years as a starter, highlighted with a 2021 state title for the Fighting Irish. Although enrollment includes only 1,100 students, Cathedral competes in the state’s highest division.
Peebles said O’Neil now holds every passing record at the school, including throwing for nearly 8,000 career yards with 99 touchdown passes. He also ran for more than 1,300 yards and 31 more TDs.
“Once we got him here at Cathedral, the thing that stood out was his intelligence,” Peebles said. “He’s a moxie kid. He knows how to win games.”
Peebles was clear that O’Neil wouldn’t be visiting if Lewis had not been hired as head coach. O’Neil did not immediately respond to an interview request.
“As part of the recruiting process, you get close with the guys who recruit you. That has a huge impact,” he said.
O’Neil has offers from 20 schools, including a dozen Power Five programs, according to 247Sports.
SDSU is the only school listed as “warm” in regard to interest.
“If he ends up landing (at SDSU), they’re getting a good one,” Peebles said. “He’s a highly, highly competitive kid. … He knows how to win games. He kept us in a lot of games.”
O’Neil was at his best during a midseason game in 2022 against Indiana power Center Grove.
“They hadn’t lost to a team in Indiana in three years,” Peebles said. “We were down by 16 points with four minutes to go and we came back and won the game.
“We had to go 99 yards for the first drive (in the comeback). Then we block a punt and score. Then we get the ball back and he leads us down in about 30 seconds to win the game.”
O’Neil finished with 410 yards and five touchdowns.
“He can lead by example, but he’s not afraid to put himself out there,” Peebles said. “He expects a lot of himself and those around him.
“He’s one of your typical Type-A quarterback personalities. He’s highly driven and he’s a kid who is definitely going to have a presence in the quarterback room, in the locker room and on the team.”
Peebles said O’Neil, who carries a 4.2 GPA, is graduating early so he can enroll in college in time to participate in spring football.
Others visiting
Those joining O’Neil on the visit include several recruits who already have verbally committed, including a pair of local standouts in Mater Dei Catholic High School running back Anthony McMillian Jr. and Carlsbad High School wide receiver Will Cianfrini.
The group also includes Corona Centennial High School cornerback Tayten Beyer, Seattle O’Dea High School offensive tackle Kai Holec and Peoria (Ariz.) Liberty High School offensive tackle Ryan Wolfer.
An uncommitted recruit joining the others is cornerback Isaiah Buxton, McMillian’s Mater Dei teammate.
Transfer OL commits
SDSU received a verbal commitment Thursday from Brayden Bryant, an offensive lineman transferring from the University of North Dakota. The 6-2, 305-pound Bryant played two seasons at a Kansas junior college before transferring to North Dakota. An Oklahoma native, Bryant is a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility.
