Cornerback is by its nature often a gambling position, but South Alabama senior Darian Mills very nearly gambled his way out of an opportunity to play Division I football five years ago.
Following his 2013 senior season at Winter Haven (Fla.) High School, Mills (whose first name is pronounced "Dah-RYAN") was a two-star prospect who picked up a number of scholarship offers from small Division I programs. Mills had his eyes set on the Power 5 level, however, and as he played the waiting game, those offers began to dry up as the smaller schools signed other players to the remaining slots in their 2014 signing classes.