South Carolina signee makes huge jump in rankings
South Carolina football signee Donovan Darden was once a popular pick as a “sleeper” in the Gamecocks’ 2025 recruiting class. That is no longer the case. He is firmly on the radar now, and a recent jump in the recruiting rankings illustrates that point.
On Thursday, when On3 updated their 2025 player rankings for the final time, Darden was one of the biggest risers. Ranked 122nd previously, the North Carolina native is all the way up to No. 52 nationally. He also is the No. 3 prospect in the Tar Heel State and ranks 8th among EDGE players. (South Carolina likes Darden as a linebacker.)
Despite some other outlets being a little slower in recognizing Darden’s talent, he now ranks No. 170 nationally in On3’s industry ranking, a composite of the four major recruiting rankings from On3, 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals.
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When watching Darden’s film (check out GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark and Kevin Miller break it down here), it is easy to see why the incoming USC freshman is standing out above so many of his peers.
Darden has freaky acceleration, seen both with his first step as a pass rusher and when he chases down ballcarriers from behind. He also has impressive size for a player who moves as well as he does. Listed at 6’4″ and 225 on South Carolina’s preliminary 2025 roster (before spending time in a college weight room), Darden mirrors what the Gamecocks saw success with at the linebacker position in 2024. Of the team’s seven scholarship ‘backers at the start of the season, all seven weighed at least 230 pounds, and five of them stood at least 6’2″. Like Darden, too, several of them had pass rush experience before becoming Gamecocks.
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Though he will need to work on some coverage things as a player who has spent most of his high school career with his hand in the dirt, Darden managed to have a pick-six in the Shrine Bowl as a linebacker. His athleticism should make his position transition easier than it would be for most others.
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Darden’s rankings jump wasn’t limited to On3’s evaluators. 247Sports pushed him up to No. 106 in their latest update, too.
Those jumps are remarkable considering Darden committed to the South Carolina football program as a newly-minted 3-star recruit. Having spent most of his time as an unranked prospect, the athletic defender moved up quickly and deservedly.
Darden enrolled at the University of South Carolina this January. He will go through spring practice with the Gamecocks. Carolina likely will need at least one young linebacker to play in 2025, and Darden could be the one.
