From TikTok Dances to Touchdowns: Daniel Blood Brings His Whole Self to Rogers Field

Daniel Blood did not set out to go viral. He was just fooling around with a friend one
afternoon, no plan, no ring light, when something clicked. He started to move, a sound matched up on TikTok, and just like that, the "fooling around" dance was born.

"I don't even remember how it happened," Blood said, laughing. "I was just with one of my friends, horse playing around, and I just started doing it. And then a sound came up, so it was kind of just a coincidence."

That is Daniel Blood in a nutshell. Effortless. Energetic. The kind of guy who lights up a room without even trying. The Washington State wide receiver, a transfer from Missouri and a Louisiana native, brings energy to everything, whether he is hyping teammates up during practice or watching his TikTok following grow.

Off the field, Blood calls himself a chill guy with a small circle, happy just playing Fortnite and watching film on a day off. But spend five minutes with him and it's clear that's only half the story. His teammates know him as the guy dancing, bouncing, getting everybody going before the ball even moves.

"On the field I'm very energetic, very dancing, trying to hype others up," he said. "Off the field I'm more of a chill guy. So it's kind of a shift a little bit."

Blood grew up in Louisiana dreaming of the NBA, immersing himself in AAU and travel basketball, before the game of football claimed him in high school. By his senior year, he was playing in a state championship game on a sprained ankle he rolled the week before.

"It was kind of like the perfect ending to a story," he said.

His next life chapter took him to Missouri, and then to Pullman, when he followed his offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. But there was another pull to Pullman, his older brother JR Blood was on the Cougars' coaching staff.

JR is four years older, so they never shared the field growing up. One season at Missouri was the first time they were on the same team. Now they share a kitchen, a couch and lunch at least once a week, not to talk football, just to stay close. JR does not sugarcoat things. He tells Daniel what he needs to hear.

"He tells me things I don't always want to hear," Blood said. "And that's always something great to have in your corner."

The biggest piece of advice JR gave him: Be your own biggest fan. Nobody is going to hype him up every day, so he has to do it himself.

When the grind gets heavy, Blood thinks about his family and the people back home who never got the same shot.

"Why would I complain when there are people that would almost do anything to be where I'm at?" he said. "That's what keeps me pushing on the day-to-day."

Blood said he has remained grateful for everything. He pulls young receivers aside to help them understand the offense. He handles pre-snap communication that never shows up on highlights. He runs his own race.

This season, Blood wants a conference championship and a playoff bid. But ask what he wants people in Pullman to know about him, not the player, just the person, and he keeps it simple.

"I'm really a chill guy outside of football," he said. "But I'm also down to try new things, new food, kind of adventure around Pullman sometimes when I get bored."

A Louisiana kid, a viral dancer, a brother and a Coug. Daniel Blood is still figuring out how all of it fits together and he seems to be having a pretty good time doing it.

Washington State University Athletics

From TikTok Dances to Touchdowns: Daniel Blood Brings His Whole Self to Rogers Field

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