Daron Arnold
 | This article has been cleared by an Approver on the wiki team. bowl0 |
| No. 99 – Yellowknife Wraiths | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive End |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 12, 2026 (aged 36) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Username: | Tubadeus |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Penn Hills High School |
| College: | University of Illinois |
| ISFL Draft: | 2048 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2047 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Daron Arnold (born August 12, 2026) is an American football defensive end for the Yellowknife Wraiths of the International Simulation Football League (ISFL).
Contents
Early years
Daron was born to a single mother in the outskirts of Chicago. The pair struggled to make ends meet, though Daron has been quoted saying that this particular time in his life taught him the value of hard work. Their fortunes changed, however, when Daron's mother met a widowed businessman on a trip from Pittsburgh. The pair soon followed the businessman out to Pennsylvania where Daron first met his soon to be step brother Aaron.
The pair immediately began a long-running sibling rivalry. In their constant endeavors to one-up each other, they began working out, figuring that it would be easier to antagonize each other if they were stronger. Unfortunately for Daron, Aaron proved to be the better athlete. Daron did have a small size advantage, but Aaron was faster, stronger, and more agile than his step brother. Daron quickly fell into Aaron's shadow as the two began to prepare to take their talents to the college level.
College career
While Aaron stayed in Pittsburgh, Daron decided to go back to his home state in an effort to break free from his step brother's shadow. He didn't receive many offers being only a two-star recruit, but was able to latch onto the team at the University of Illinois. Unsurprisingly, his freshman year was not particularly productive. While he was active for all 13 games, he only managed to produce 9 tackles (3 for a loss) to go along with 1 sack. He worked his way into more playing time his sophomore year, where he manage to rack up a much more impressive 37 tackles, 9 of them for a loss. However, he still only managed 4 sacks and had yet to force a fumble.
Daron managed to finally break out his junior year, notching 58 total tackles (12 for a loss) to go along with 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The impressive showing earned him second-team All-Big Ten honors. However, Daron was still unsatisfied as his step brother Aaron was named a first-team All-Big East player. Desperate to surpass his more recognized step brother, Daron overworked himself during the offseason and tore a pectoral muscle. The tear proved to be substantial. Not only did the follow up surgeries prevent the once-promising prospect from carrying his momentum into his senior year, but the slow recovery tanked his draft stock, leaving Daron undrafted. Recongizing that it wouldn't do him any good to try and push through the pain, Daron opted to allow the muscle to fully heal before pursuing joining the DSFL to prove that his junior year at Illinois was no fluke.
College career statistics
| College statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tackles | For Loss | FF/FR | Sacks | Int | PD | Safety | TD | |
| 2042 | Illinois | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2043 | Illinois | 13 | 37 | 9 | 0/0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2044 | Illinois | 13 | 58 | 12 | 2/1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
Professional career
Being a late-declare free agent, Daron was picked up by the Portland Pythons for the last two games of the 2046 regular season. However, he struggled to find playing time in those two games, recording only two tackles before Portland was eliminated from playoff contention.
Despite the nearly invisible showing in his first taste of DSFL action, Daron's effort and dedication had clearly impressed the league. Now eligible for the 2047 DSFL draft, the Minnesota Grey Ducks took Daron as the 5th overall pick. Minnesota switched Daron from his original defensive tackle role to linebacker, a curious move that ended up working out surprisingly well as he received a nomination for Rookie of the Year accolades on the back of finishing 6th in the league in tackles.
The remarkable showing improved his draft stock going into the 2048 ISFL draft, where he ended up being drafted 3rd overall to the Yellowknife Wraiths. However, as the Wraiths already had more than enough linebackers to spare, they relegated Daron back to the DSFL for the 2048 season. The extra season allowed Daron to grow into a wrecking ball in the developmental league. Among his achievements, he finished second in the league in total tackles, T-2nd in TFL's, T-7th in FF's, T-7th in sacks, and led all linebackers with 10 PD's (3 ahead of 2nd).
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2046 (S31) | Pythons | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2047 (S32) | Grey Ducks | 14 | 105 | 7 | 2/2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2048 (S33) | Grey Ducks | 14 | 107 | 11 | 3/1 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
Achievements and records
Team
-DSFL North Champion (S33)
Individual
-DSFL Pro Bowl (S32, S33)
-DSFL MVP Nominee (S33)
-DSFL Defensive Player of the Year Nominee (S33)
-DSFL Linebacker of the Year Nominee (S33)
-DSFL Rookie of the Year Nominee (S32)
""
