Where is Darkwa going to college?

[nosidj]

any word?

[wrangler615]

Look on Rivals.

He got his first offer a few days ago from Army. More are soon to come.

[VandyHoosiers]

He apparently does not have the academic profile that teams look for. Even with those risks and his lack of ideal size/speed, I am surprised he doesn't have more options at this point.

[bostie]

vandyhoosier,

What does Darkwa's academic profile look like?

I've heard he has quite a bit of interest.

[doct]

He apparently does not have the academic profile that teams look for. Even with those risks and his lack of ideal size/speed, I am surprised he doesn't have more options at this point.

 

Boy, jumping to conclusions aren't we? A young man with an offer from Army would certainly meet the academic profile of the majority of schools, in my opinion. Don't know that for a fact, but just a hunch. Without verification, those kind of statements shouldn't be made.

 

I agree with the second part of your post...I wonder if the reason he doesn't have more offers is his size and running style. He is actually undersized for a true tailback at a big time program (rivals lists at 5'11" and 200 lbs). Guys that size are very elusive/shifty with great speed. Darkwa is fast, but more of a power style of running, and in a major D1 program I wonder if he would be as effective, probably wouldn't be able to run through arm tackles, break tackles like he can in HS. The young man is one heck of a football player though.

[cbg]

He apparently does not have the academic profile that teams look for. Even with those risks and his lack of ideal size/speed, I am surprised he doesn't have more options at this point.

If the United States Military Academy @ West Point has offered him the opportunity to become a plebe he must have very strong academics. Let's not forget that graduates of the military academies receive an academic education equal to any of the Ivy League schools and are the highest paid executives in the world when they leave the military.

[wrangler615]

I wouldn't take a shot at his academics without looking at them. Yes, he does not have a 32-36 ACT but he is a bright kid who has a good GPA (somewhere in the low 3s I think) so his academics is not a problem, especially for a football player and the leniency schools give athletes. And as a few said earlier, Navy is one of the best academic schools in the nation and he got an offer from them so I don't think it's a problem.

 

I think the reason is because of the strength of running backs in this current class and last years class. Many colleges got good RBs last year and have signed at least one this year so their rosters may be pretty full. Most colleges are looking to fill more depth at other spots this year. The reason Navy is interested is because they run a spread option with 2 WRs and 3RBs and they have looked at Darkwa to be a blocking back.

[CheckerboardEndzones]

Word on Vol boards that if they strike out with their top 2-3 RB's he will get an offer

[KWoodroof]

I would find it awfully hard to imagine that with an Ensworth education, he's somehow an academic risk. I suppose anything is possible, but that one seems pretty unlikely.

[EHSParent]

I think all this is well meaning, and the writers here seem to respect this young man. I DO think we are getting a little off base when we are trying to guess his ACT scores ,etc. My daughter just graduated from EHS and knew Orleans to be a humble, introspective, well-spoken guy. She was just home from college for the Homecoming game v. BA and said as much about him after the game. He also runs track and does so as much to help the team as out of love for the sport (my take, anyway). As for his football prowess, I know he is pretty darn fast, and brings an absolute load to the would-be tacklers (just stand on the sidelines and watch him hit). I hope one of the big schools gives him an oppoprtunity, if he wants it.

[Treadstone]

I have a friend whose son knows Darkwa well. I usually hate to talk about the personal side of things, seeing as this is a football board, but Orleans holds above a 3.0 at a challenging private school. His grades will not affect his getting offers, as we have already seen with the offer from Army. (Wrangler615 said Navy, it is Army though). He can hang academically anywhere, as hard as he works in the classroom. I think its only a matter of time before he gets offers from UAB, Bama, Clemson, and Vandy. Maybe even Tennessee.

[graceseeker]

Your daughter's assessment is right on target. To me, it shows the weakness of the college recruiting process. There are so many athletes analyzed that it always just comes down to the tangibles - how big is he, how fast can he run, what is his SPARQ rating. What schools are missing is what kind of person this young man is. You will not find a person - teammate or competitor - who will say anything bad about Orleans. He is a tremendous competitor and will do everything in his power to win. He will play through pain and do anything that is asked of him. For someone that is so dominate at his position, his humility borders on awe inspiring. He demonstrates maturity beyond his years. Some school is going to get a true winner with this young man and will learn they are getting someone that will help them win on the field as well as in the locker room.