Recruiting Spotlight: Darius Anderson

Darius Anderson may only be a rising junior at Hightower high school, but as the recipient of the Defensive Newcomer of the Year in one of the most difficult districts in Texas, he’s already one of the top DT recruits in Texas for 2016.

“Honestly, he is dominant,” Hightower WR Coach Ed Jones said. “He knows what he wants to do, he knows his goals for himself, and he goes after it.”

At 6’1”, 285 pounds, and still growing, Anderson has a quality that many others in his weight class don’t possess: speed. “He’s quicker than a lot of people would believe,” Coach Jones said. “For a big guy, he gets there [fast]. He ran a 5.2 at a Nike Training Camp. It’s scary how quick he is.”

Jones said Anderson isn’t one of the loud members of the team, but he is one of the most respected. “He’s not as vocal, but he has a lot of people’s respect,” Jones said. “The way he lifts in the weight room, the way he works, makes him a leader.”

Though no offers are on the table yet, Anderson has been invited to summer football camps at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, LSU, UT, A&M, and even received a personalized invitation to a Notre Dame camp. “Every school has been impressed with him,” Coach Jones said. “With him, we’re trying to get that first offer so that domino effect can go. When it happens, it’s going to shatter the glass.”

Unlike many highly rated recruits, Anderson’s award-winning season last year only serves as motivation for him to reach a higher level. “He wants to be the best. [He doesn’t] have any offers, so that motivates him,” Coach Jones said. “He wants to be the best defensive player Hightower has ever had.”

In previous articles written about Anderson, he showed an elevated interest in UT, naming Fozzy Whitaker as a prime reason. “[Anderson] talks about him all the time because Fozzy is his god-brother,” Jones said. “He always talks about how he wants to work hard to be like [Fozzy]. It’s something that is an integral part of his football career and his life in general.”

Anderson attended the Spring Game this year and had positive remarks about the process. “He loved [uT],” Jones said. “He loved the coaches and he really loved the interactions with the recruits. It’s something that he needed to see for himself as a prospect instead of just a fan.”

Jones visited UT for the coaching clinic and saw how the team would be run next year. “I absolutely love the new Texas coaching staff,” Coach Jones said. “Just hearing them talk about what they’re going to do and how they’re going to do things was great. I think they’re going to be a very tough team to beat.”

The biggest difference Coach Jones noticed at the UT Coaches Clinic was the emphasis that the new staff had on team toughness. “Earl Campbell, Vince Young, Colt McCoy, they were tough. You weren’t just going to come in and beat them up.”

Although Anderson was quoted in March as saying that Texas was his number one choice, the influx of interested teams has made him more open about his decision next year. “Texas will always have a place in [Anderson’s] heart, but he’s very open,” Jones said.