South Carolina Gamecocks Defensive Back Darin Smalls seems ready to break out in his freshman season, after recovering from a knee injury, an now being cleared to play, “It’s like the Best feeling in the World.”
Cornerback Smalls who originally signed with the Gamecocks in February 2014 but did not enroll in school until January 2015… spent the fall of 2014 rehabbing his knee injury… played for legendary coach John McKissick at Summerville (S.C.) High School, graduating in 2014… the Green Wave went 11-3 and reached the state semifinals in his senior season… suffered a knee injury in his final campaign… logged 60 tackles and intercepted six passes as a sophomore, returning two for touchdowns… also competed in baseball and track… Rivals considered him a three-star prospect, the 11th-best player in the state and the 37th-best cornerback in the country… Scout rated him as a three-star prospect and the 53rd-best cornerback in the country… considered a three-star prospect, the 15th-best player in the state, and the 37th-best safety in the nation, according to 247Sports… ESPN considered him a three-star prospect, the 23rd-best safety in the nation and the 14th-best player in the state… ranked by PrepStar as a three-star prospect and an All-Atlantic Region pick… had more than a dozen major college offers.