This past Friday, Cedderick Daniels was named the new head football coach at Williston.

But that opportunity didn’t seem possible in 2020.

With NFL top-five draft pick Anthony Richardson at quarterback, things looked bright for Daniels, who was the head coach at Eastside High School in Gainesville from 2016 to 2020.

The Rams finished 7-4 and made the FHSAA playoffs in 2019, which was Richardson’s junior year.

However, Richardson missed the final four games of his senior year because of injury and Eastside struggled with a 2-8 record. Daniels decided to step down after four seasons.

“After Eastside, I contemplated whether I would coach again, honestly,” Daniels said. “I was hurt when it happened. It kind of ruined my Christmas. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Hawthorne reached out to him a day or so after it happened and asked him to join their staff.

“I was like, let me navigate through some things,” Daniels said. “I went on two head coaching interviews and was not selected. Hawthorne respected me enough to wait on me to see if I would get jobs, and when I didn’t, they were still interested in me. I met with Dustin, Greg, and Mr. Ferguson and they brought me on. I was so happy for an opportunity.”

Although he replaces FHSAA Hall of Fame coach Robby Pruitt, he has been coaching under a future Hall of Fame selection in Cornelius Ingram, who stepped down as Hawthorne’s head coach last month.

“I’ve been in the business and have learned from some very good coaches,” Daniels said. “C.I. taught me the other side of it. He honestly showed me the family part of the game. The love that he has for his staff and his players is different. The open-door policy for anyone, whether he wanted to or not, he would talk or just listen to his players. A lot of coaches are on staff to just coach and go home.”

Daniels said what developed in Hawthorne was brotherhood. It’s all about family at Hawthorne.

“I saw this man (C.I.) get sick and doctors told him to rest, but even when he did, he was still on the phone working from home, checking on his guys,” Daniels said. “He is a true family man and a man of God. Things happen for a reason. God doesn’t make mistakes. Those Hawthorne guys (CI, Greg, Dustin, Hawk, Cue, Rashaad and JT) really saved me. I was in a dark place when I left Eastside. They showed me nothing but love and treated me like I was their brother. I owe those guys everything and I was blessed to have the opportunity to work right next to them.”

Daniels, who was previously the defensive coordinator at Hawthorne, which won the FHSAA Rural state title this past December, said the opportunity to be the head coach at Williston “means everything.”

“I didn’t expect to be in this position, honestly,” Daniels said. “After we won the state championship, I was prepared to go out and win another one. A Williston representative reached out to me to gauge my interest in the job. I had no interest in leaving, but they were interested in me, so I became interested in them. When an opportunity arises, you can’t always turn them down because you never know if or when an opportunity will come again. I’m really excited about this new start.”

Williston Athletics Director Greg Yancey said that from Day One and throughout their search process, “Daniels’ desire to be the next head football coach of the Williston Red Devils was very evident.”

“With many qualified coaches showing interest in our program, our committee felt this was one of the key things that stood out about Coach Daniels,” Yancey said. “Another was the fact that for several years, he has served a vital role as a key staff member of the most successful football program in our Rural Classification. Coach Daniels certainly understands what it takes to be a championship-level football program, which is our goal.”

Williston has been a common opponent of the Red Devils in the playoffs, including this past year’s FHSAA Rural Region 4 Final, so Daniels always knew the job was a good one.

“They have had some really good players and teams come through here,” Daniels said. “Every time I have faced them, they have always had talent. The community support for their program is unmatched. The love and support that they pour into the kids and program is one of the key factors for my decision.”

When Daniels addressed his new team on Friday, one of the things he told them was that things would look different, as Williston moves from the Wing-T offense under Pruitt, the new Union County (Lake Butler) football coach, to a more of a spread offense.

“I will be hiring an offensive coordinator for sure,” Daniels said. “My OC and I have talked. We will be a spread-style offense. We have some really talented guys that can fly around. I know we can run the ball for sure, but we will get the ball to our athletes and let them make plays in space.”

Although he was a part of three state titles at Hawthorne, coaching the defense, he is going to turn over the reins for that position.

“I have a defensive coordinator in place,” Daniels said. “We’ve worked together in the past. Defense is my thing, so I will be there watching over them. But I will let my coaches coach. I really like the guys that I have on staff.”

Last week, five Hawthorne players were selected for the 2025 Bosshardt Realty All Area small school defensive team after the Hornets allowed only 22 points in four playoff wins against Branford, Williston, Chiefland (state semifinals) and Blountstown (Rural state championship game).

“Being the DC was fun,” Daniels said. “A lot of our practices were competitive on both sides of the ball. To make it to the championship game was an outstanding feeling, and to win three is something that is hard to describe. Seeing the looks of excitement on the players’ faces is a wonderful feeling. It’s like watching a kid open his Christmas presents and get what he wanted. Heck, it’s a wonderful feeling to make it to the championship game. 

“There are coaches who have coached their whole career and have never made it to the championship game, so it’s something that I will never take for granted.”

After another state title, plus the talent to do it again in 2026, Daniels said it was a difficult decision to move on.

“The fun we’ve had there makes you not want to leave,” he said. “I had become complacent in my career and was content with not being a varsity head coach again. I thought about it sometimes, but I always felt if I ever took a head coaching job again that it had to be the right job, and I wasn’t going to take a job just to take one. I feel like I’ve taken the best job that was available.”

Daniels said that being a previous head coach will help him at Williston.

“This is a business and you have to approach it that way the second time around,” he said. “I have to be more business-minded. I was brought in to win and was gifted an opportunity. There is no pressure this time around. My first time, I was really excited about being the coach at Eastside. Though I’m excited, I know what my mission is, and my preparation and my approach will have to be different.”