SF 49ers: 3 things to know about new OC Mike McDaniel

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Run Game Coordinator Mike McDaniel of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

The big talk of the NFL coaching search was where Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator of the SF 49ers, would end up taking a head coaching job. He was a top candidate for many of the vacancies available in the league.

It was also rumored wherever Saleh went, he would likely take one of the offensive assistants from the Niners with him to be his offensive coordinator. One of either passing-game coordinator Mike LaFleur or run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel would go with Saleh.

When Saleh accepted the offer from the New York Jets, he opted to take LaFleur with him to be his offensive coordinator. McDaniel, on the other hand, received a promotion in-house to become the offensive coordinator for San Francisco.

The offensive coordinator duties for the SF 49ers were filled by head coach Kyle Shanahan from 2017 to 2020. But now McDaniel will jump into playcalling duties for the 2021 season and take his first stab at running an offense.

While LaFleur had a well-known name due to his brother, Matt, being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, McDaniel had a bit more mystique surrounding him. He didn’t have an NFL career prior to coaching like his counterpart, DeMeco Ryans, on the defensive side either.

The 37-year-old Greeley, Colorado native, McDaniel, was one of the more quiet offensive assistants on the team, and not too much was known and circulated about him. So let’s take a look at three things all SF 49ers fans should know about the new offensive coordinator.