Darren Carrington II decided in fifth grade that he wanted to play football for the University of Oregon. He fell in love with the idea in part because family friend Jarius Byrd starred at safety for Oregon before going to the NFL.
By freshman year of high school, Carrington had a note by the mirror as a daily reminder of his goal to play for the Ducks. So if this weekend’s game against the Ducks in Eugene, Ore., doesn’t have a true grudge match feel to it for Utah’s senior wide receiver, it’s because there isn’t any animosity from him toward the school or its football program.
Carrington still considers Oregon home despite being suspended this summer following an arrest and ultimately dismissed from the program. He’s still close with members of the football program, and he doesn’t have any anger toward first-year coach Willie Taggart despite Taggart having kicked him out of the program.
“From the beginning, I wish it had gone differently,” Carrington said. “I had spent my college years there. I wish I could’ve changed the outcome of what happened, but it worked out how it worked out. God’s plan is the right plan, so I’m not really worried about it.
“I mean, I’m still going here and this has been a good home for me. I don’t have no regrets on it, but everybody wishes everything could have turned out a little bit different. You’ve just got to take the punches and go along, go with it.”
What does Darren Carrington II expect his return to Autzen Stadium to be like? “I feel like I’m going to get booed a little bit.” pic.twitter.com/xG5msdmgqn
— Chris Kamrani (@chriskamrani) October 23, 2017
Carrington’s dismissal from Oregon came in the aftermath of him being charged with DUI after crashing into a pole at a McDonald’s drive-thru in July. Carrington reached a plea deal in August that included him paying a $490 fine and participating in a yearlong diversion program, which would get his misdemeanor DUI charge dismissed.
However, that arrest was the final salvo in a collegiate career that included extraordinary acts of athleticism on the field and several publicized incidents of acting out off the field. Taggart dismissed Carrington almost two weeks later. Carrington joined Utah as a graduate transfer on the eve of preseason camp.
Carrington played in 33 games from 2014-16 for the Ducks. He was the team’s second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 704 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2015, a season in which he averaged 19 yards per catch. He led the Ducks in receiving with 43 catches for 606 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Utah at Oregon<br>Saturday, 3:45 p.m.<br>TV • Pac-12 Network
During his tenure with the Ducks, Carrington missed a bowl game after failing a drug test, was cited for having an open container of alcohol and got accused of assaulting an Oregon fan in what ultimately was determined by local police to be a case of mistaken identity.
“Darren and our team and everyone kind of knew the situation going in, that we had to be clean and do things the right way,” Taggart said Tuesday. “Unfortunately, he had a mishap, which caused him to no longer be on our football team. It was unfortunate for us and for him, but it seems like he’s bounced back and our team kept moving. We wished him nothing but the best. It’s good to see that he’s having some success. We just hope he don’t have success this week.”
Taggart took over as the Ducks coach this past offseason after four years at South Florida. Carrington’s dismissal wasn’t the first Taggart made after taking the job. Less than a week after officially announcing the hiring of assistant coach David Reaves, Taggart dismissed him following a DUI arrest.
Darren Carrington Sr., a former NFL player and current pastor at The Rock Church in San Diego, told The Tribune in August that he felt Taggart and his son had a great relationship. He even credited Taggart for having given his son “that extra umph” for the game.
Coach Willie Taggart on decision to dismiss Darren Carrington from the Oregon program. pic.twitter.com/5riCDr9k1S
— Lynn Worthy (@LWorthySports) July 27, 2017
The elder Carrington said he came away with the feeling that Taggart had hoped to find a way to avoid kicking his son out of the program, but that Taggart’s hands ultimately were tied due to the previous situation with his assistant coach.
“I really feel like he was a strong advocate for Darren,” Carrington Sr. said. “There’s no ill feelings or anything toward him. If there was a way for it to have ended better, maybe that would have been the way — to have brought him in [for a meeting]. Maybe time didn’t allow that to happen.”
Carrington will play a final game in Autzen Stadium more than three months after his dismissal. The Oregon graduate said he fully expects the majority of the 54,000 spectators to rain boos and taunts upon him.
Carrington will be excited to play against former teammates. He likened it to playing high school football against a friend from a neighboring town. He described Ducks senior safety Tyree Robinson as his best friend. The two former freshman-year roommates keep in contact weekly. The two have known each other since first grade.
“There’s always heat, even in practice,” Carrington said. “We always talk back and forth to each other. It’s just a competitiveness in us. Definitely he’s going to bring his A-game. I’m bringing my A-game. Whenever we go against each other, that’s what we try to do — make each other better. It’s just going to be a battle out there.”
DARREN CARRINGTON II <br>Height • 6 foot 3 <br>Weight • 205 pounds <br>Class • Senior <br>Hometown • San Diego <br>2014 stats • 14 games, 37 catches, 704 yards, 4 TD, 50.3 yards/game <br>2015 stats • 7 games, 32 catches, 609 yards, 6 TD, 87.0 yards/game <br>2016 stats • 12 games, 43 catches, 606 yards, 5 TD, 50.5 yards/game <br>2017 stats • 7 games, 45 catches, 649 yards, 5 TD, 92.7 yards/game