Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs dismissed Nyier Daniels from the program last year after he was charged with a felony in an incident. But after being without a team for a while, the defensive lineman has now returned to college football. He has now joined an FCS program, with the announcement coming on Thursday.

Daniels has just joined the Tarleton State Texans. The defensive lineman joined the program with two other recruits: three-star prospect and former Georgia commit defensive lineman Seven Cloud and three-star prospect and First Team All-American running back Markellus Bass.

Tarleton State Texans are coming off a historic recruiting window, where they signed a record 63-man National Signing Day class—the highest in program history. Per AthLinkd, the program ranked No. 1 across the entire FCS.

Daniels came to college after a prolific career at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey. He was named an All-American. During his time there, his school won three state championships and posted a 34-2 overall record. He arrived at Georgia as part of the 2024 class. During his two years with the program, he didn’t play much, appearing in just 4 games. However, he was set to take on a more significant role on the team last year before he was dismissed by the Bulldogs. The dismissal followed his arrest last November for speeding.

The charges included fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and 10 misdemeanor charges, resulting from a high-speed police chase. He also had two counts of cruelty to children, as his younger siblings were in his car while he fled.

A police report obtained by The Associated Press said Daniels allegedly reached a speed of 100 mph in a 25 mph zone in Commerce and 150 mph once the chase continued on Interstate 85. Daniel’s mother, Brandi Canada Green, was also arrested for driving another vehicle that became involved in the chase. The chase ended when the police lost track of his vehicle on the interstate. Following his dismissal from Georgia, Daniels had no choice but to enter the transfer portal in January. There was a long delay before he could find a team, as his court case was still on.

Tarleton State’s coach on new signings

Led by head coach Todd Whitten, the program is coming off a 12-2 season in 2025, during which it finished 7-1 in the United Athletic Conference (UAC). Having ended the 2025 season in the FCS playoffs quarterfinals, they will be looking to do better with Daniels in 2026. The program is bouncing off an impressive season, and their recruitment activity has been so exciting that the head coach could not hide his feelings.

“Following our record National Signing Day class, we landed three highly recruited prospects who we’re really excited about in Nyier Daniels, Seven Cloud and Markellus Bass,” Tarleton State head coach Todd Whitten said, per the program’s official website. “They’ve already proven to be elite talents on the field, and the fact that we’re able to sign such highly sought-after recruits speaks volumes to where we’re at as a program and a university.”