[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Owen Daniels is something of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to playing football.

The senior tight end for the Badgers didn't actually play tight end until his junior year last year when he was switched from quarterback to receiver.

Daniels was a successful high school quarterback, but when he wasn't getting any playing time here at Wisconsin, he and coaches decided it was time for a change. So far, he has seen time on special teams, at quarterback and at running back before finally settling in at the tight end position.

"[The coaching staff] experimented with me practicing for the Alamo Bowl at tight end," Daniels said. "They were going to use me to stretch the field out a little bit, but I tore my ACL. When I came back they gave me the option of changing positions. It was a tough decision to make, but I wanted to be out there contributing to the team."

Daniels began his career mostly on special teams, but he played three games at the quarterback position in his sophomore year, getting his first completion against Ohio State, who went on to become the national champion that year. He also had four carries as a running back for 18 yards. It wasn't until the end of his sophomore year that he began working out as a tight end where he used his knowledge of the quarterback position to help him as a receiver.

"[Being a quarterback] you get a great knowledge of the offense and what everybody else is doing at all times," said Daniels. "It's helped me a lot with my route-running and reading defenses when I'm out there running my routes."

Things are working out for Daniels at that position so far. Last season he was fourth on the team in receiving with 15 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season he leads the team with 233 receiving yards and was on the receiving end of the longest pass play of the season, a 52-yard touchdown pass from John Stocco in the first game of the season against Central Florida.

"He is a really good route-runner," said tight ends coach Rob Ianello. "He has a good feel for sticking a route and snapping a defender off, or working the defender on a double move."

Daniels' main advantages are his size and speed. At 6'3" he can outrun most linebackers, creating matchup problems for the defense. Often times the defense will have to bring over a safety to cover Daniels, spreading out the field and making it easier to work the offense.

"Some safeties can run with him, some can't," Ianello said of his tight end. "There are guys that run routes, and there are guys that get open. Routes are what are in the playbook. Getting open is something the individual does, and as he continues to learn, he'll be a matchup problem for a lot of people."

Daniels also has great hands. He is not the traditional big, blocking tight end whose only role is to distract linebackers. He makes an impact every game with his pass catching abilities.

"He has really good vision and hands," said Ianello of Daniels. "He's a hand catcher as opposed to a body catcher."

But it's not just pass-catching abilities that Daniels works on with his time. He is also a very successful student. He graduated high school with a 3.93 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society. In 2002, he won Academic All-Big Ten honors for his efforts in class as well as on the field. He is an atmospheric and oceanic sciences major and would like to be a meteorologist one day.

"I've always been interested in weather," said Daniels of his major, "especially storms, lightning, tornadoes and things like that. I just wanted to study something I was interested in so I could get excited about learning."

Daniels has certainly made the most of his position switch. He hasn't once regretted his decision to move to tight end and, as he becomes a better blocker, he will only add more to the offense. He will look to add to the offense this weekend against Purdue as the Badgers head to Indiana. With Anthony Davis back and the offense finally opening up, fans should hear his number 11 called a little more often.