Away from the football field, you’ll rarely find incoming Penn State wide receiver Daniel George moving very quickly.

George is a relaxed, laid-back character whose favorite pastime is roaming the golf course with his stepfather. He’s in no rush to merge into the fast lane.

Cross the white line onto the gridiron, however, and acceleration is everything to the young wideout, who said an ability to separate himself from defensive backs is among the most important assets that he’ll bring to Penn State’s receiver corps.

“I might not be like a 4.4 guy,” he said, “but when I get to top speed I don’t think anybody’s catching me.”

George spent much of his high school career just as he described it – not getting caught. The Fort Washington, Md., native accumulated 888 yards through the air and brought down 11 touchdown catches as a senior, leading Oxon Hill High to the Class AAA state semifinals.

College coaches took notice. George earned 24 offers, including 20 from Power Five schools. A four-star recruit, he passed up offers from Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech, instead pledging his commitment to coach James Franklin in July 2017.

Once George got the offer, he said, there wasn’t much of a choice to be made.

“I would just say Penn State as a whole is just way better than every other school,” he said. “But with me being from Maryland, watching Penn State and Maryland playing each other all the time, getting to see how Penn State handles that... Once I got the offer, everything about it caught my eye.”

George didn’t have any second thoughts, even after the departure of wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, who left for Alabama, and offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, who became the head coach at Mississippi State. George began building a relationship with David Corley after he was named Gattis’s replacement in January, an important part of George’s choice to keep his focus trained on the Lions.

“Definitely Coach Gattis leaving was a big hit, but Coach Corley coming in, me getting to meet him, talk with him and getting to jell with him really quickly as fast as I did, it was definitely great,” George said. “It kept my confidence up. I know that I’ll still be in great hands, still be able to get better as a player. And then playing under Coach Franklin, one of coaching greats, it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m excited.”

For Penn State fans, it’s easy to get excited about George’s physical tools. He stands 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, making him the Lions’ third-tallest receiver behind junior Juwan Johnson and fellow freshman Justin Shorter, both of whom stand 6-4.

Combine that size with the breakaway speed that jumps out on George’s highlight reel, and it’s clear Franklin and company will have a special athlete on their hands. Also apparent is that it won’t take much coaxing to get George to buy into the less-glamorous aspects of the game.

“I like to block,” he said. “Some receivers don't really like to block, but blocking is probably the thing I do best. So I definitely see my physicality as an important part of my game.”

Academics played a major role in George’s decision to join the Nittany Lions, and he said his goal for his freshman year is to maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.25.

As for football, he hopes to use his first season on campus to carve out a role for himself – and it seems he’ll get that opportunity after Franklin said he feels comfortable with all three of his freshman wide receivers as the Nittany Lions vie to replace DaeSean Hamilton’s production.

With Shorter, a five-star prospect, and fellow four-star wideout Jahan Dotson joining him as first-year players in Penn State’s receivers room, George is likely going to have to compete throughout his career to earn a share of the spotlight. That doesn’t seem to bother him one bit.

“I’m ready to come in, ready to go to work, ready to bring some W’s, ready to come win some championships,” he said.