Donte Darius

Donte Darius

Darius with the Silverbacks
No. 9 – New York Silverbacks
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(2030-25-08)January 8, 2030 (aged 30) New Orleans,, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	235 lb (107 kg)
Username:	Void_Dcxi
Career information
High school:	River Grove High School
College:	Louisiana State University
ISFL Draft:	2054 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
DSFL Draft:	2053 / Round: 2 / Pick: 13
Career history
Minnesota Grey Ducks (2052), Dallas Birddogs (2053)
Roster status:	Active

Donte Michael Darius (born January 8, 2030) is an American football linebacker for the New York Silverbacks. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU) and was drafted 11th overall in the S39 ISFL Draft.

Early years

Donte Darius was born on January 8, 2030 into a family of athletes. His mother was a ranked tennis player while his father was an accomplished track and field star. Darius followed in his father's footsteps, making the River Grove High School track team. While at a track meet, the high school football coach asked if Darius would be interested in playing football, to which he obliged. He played on the JV team as a Freshman before being bumped up to Varsity as a Sophomore. As a Senior, he lead the team in tackles and sacks, and recorded 3 interceptions, helping the team win the state championship. During high school, he was known for playing snaps at every defensive position. He was a 5 star recruit, and seen as one of the best prospects in the nation. He committed to his dad's alma mater of LSU at the end of the season.

College career

As a true freshman, Darius saw limited playing time, but LSU did use his abilities sporadically, occasionally plugging him in as a nickel corner or a sub linebacker. He also provided extra pass rush help on goal line plays. His sophomore season saw more improvement, with him being named a starting linebacker. His breakout moment came against Alabama during his sophomore year, where he recorded 2 interceptions (1 as a cornerback, 1 as a linebacker), 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. This performance got the nation clamoring for more of the versatile player. His Junior year was his best season to date, recording over 100 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 8 sacks, helping lead LSU to the SEC Championship Game. In the SEC championship, Darius recorded 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble, helping guide LSU to a 24-23 win. Darius declared for the DSFL draft following his Junior season.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tck	TFL	FF/FR	Sck	Int	PD	Sfty	TD	Blk P/XP/FG
2051 (S36)	LSU	14	122	12	3/1	8	4	26	0	1	0/0/0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	235 lbs

Darius was picked up off waivers by the Minnesota Grey Ducks in 2052. In 2 games with the Grey Ducks, Darius impressed, recording 27 tackles, 1 sack, and a forced fumble. This performance led to him being drafted in the 2nd round of the S38 DSFL draft by the Dallas Birddogs. Darius had a down year in Dallas. Although he started all 14 games, Darius was unable to reach the same success he had with Minnesota, while the Birddogs finished with a 3-11 record. With abbreviated playing time due to splitting snaps at linebacker, Darius recorded 29 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 sacks, and his first career interception. Darius started the year with limited playing time, and his stats reflected it. Near the end of the season however, Darius started finding his rhythm on the defense. He had probably his best performance of the season versus the Pythons in week 10, recording a 4 tackle, 1 TFL game in Portland. Though he had a down year, teams still loved the athleticism and untapped potential that Darius has to offered, and going into the S39 ISFL draft, Darius was expected to be a top 10 draft choice due to his versatile playing style.

In the S39 Draft, Darius ended up sliding out of the top 10 entirely, going 11th to the New York Silverbacks. In his rookie year with the Silverbacks, Darius was the starting inside linebacker for the Silverbacks, who ended up finishing a disappointing 6-9-1, missing the playoffs. In his debut with the team, Darius had 9 tackles and a TFL in the 35-28 loss. In week 3, Darius recorded 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD, and his first ISFL interception in a 28-20 win against Honolulu. In week 10 against Sarasota, Darius recorded his first ISFL sack in the 20-14 loss. Overall, Darius‘s rookie season was impressive, starting all 16 games, recording 91 tackles, 3 tackles for losses, 1 sack, 1 interception, and 10 passes defended. Darius failed to get a nomination for ISFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year. The New York Times named Darius the Silverbacks Rookie Of The Year. Though his rookie season was somewhat disappointing, hopes are still high that as he improves, so will the team around him.

Hopes were higher for the Silverbacks in S40, but they failed to improve on their 6-9-1 record from the year before, instead going 4-12 and securing the first overall pick in the S41 draft. Though the team got worse, Darius slightly improved his numbers, hitting 100 tackles for the first time in his career with 107 tackles. He also collected 2 sacks in S40. He picked up 4 TFL, and 9 PDs, which improved upon his S39 numbers. Some noteworthy performances he had include the week 7 matchup against the Austin Copperheads, in which Darius recorded 7 tackles, 2 TFL, and a sack, despite losing the game. The next week, Darius recorded 9 tackles, 1 sack, and a TFL in a loss versus the Baltimore Hawks. Overall, though the year was a disappointment for New York, there is still hope that Darius can step up to be a leader on a defense sorely lacking in guidance and leadership.

Darius and the Silverbacks returned for Season 41, and they improved upon their 4-12 record the year prior with a 7-9 record. The Silverbacks defense was a major part of their improvement, with Darius finally taking the leap that the team had hoped he would take when they took him 11th overall in the Season 39 draft. Darius finished the season with 110 tackles, setting a new career high, 2 TFLs, one forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 sacks. This all-around year was rewarded with Darius’s first pro bowl appearance, as well as his first second team all-pro nod. Now that Darius had taken the next step as one of the league’s premier inside linebackers, hopes were high for New York entering the 42nd season of ISFL play, and most pundits expected the Silverbacks to be a playoff contender with their smashmouth defense, and QB Blaine Falco expected to make a big leap.

Season 42 was the most successful year New York had with Darius on the roster. The Silverbacks improved upon their 7-9 record the year previous with an 11-5 record in the new campaign. Though they started the season 3-4, they won 8 of their last 9 games to secure a playoff spot with the number one offense in total yards. Darius took a slight step back from his all-pro campaign the year prior, with 93 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. However, Darius still did enough to make his 2nd consecutive pro bowl. In the Wildcard round, the Silverbacks were eliminated by the Second Line, ending their playoff hopes. Though the season did not end the way New York would have wanted, Quarterback Blaine Falco continues to develop along with a relatively young and hungry team. The Silverbacks are expected to be title contenders in Season 43.

Achievements and records

Individual

•ISFL Pro Bowl Selection (2): S41, S42

•ISFL 2nd team all-pro (1): S41

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Career statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tck	TFL	FF/FR	Sck	Int	PD	Sfty	TD	Blk P/XP/FG
2052 (S37)	Grey Ducks	4	27	0	1/0	1	0	1	0	0	0/0/0
2053 (S38)	Birddogs	14	29	1	0/0	3	1	0	0	0	0/0/0
2054 (S39)	Silverbacks	16	91	3	0/0	1	1	10	0	0	0/0/0
2055 (S40)	Silverbacks	16	107	4	0/0	2	0	9	0	0	0/0/0
2056 (S41)	Silverbacks	16	110	2	1/2	4	0	8	0	0	1/0/0
2057 (S42)	Silverbacks	16	93	1	2/2	4	1	9	0	0	0/0/0