"I
am signing with Ole Miss in the morning, around 9:30 am," added Darius Barksdale.
"I am not sure where all of that stuff came from. I have known where I was
going for over a year now. I have not even thought about any other school. Ole
Miss is home."
Distance from home also played a factor.
"It
is just down the road in case my family needs me. That was important to me. It
is the perfect location for me."
A few of Tig's family members also
played a role.
"John (Jerry), Peria (Jerry), Jamarcus (Sanford),
and Chris (Strong) are all my cousins. We are all close. It is going to be fun
playing with those guys again."
The clincher came when Barksdale was
given the opportunity to succeed his idol.
"(Darren) McFadden is my
favorite player. That is who I look up to and pattern my game after. I know what
their coaches did for McFadden, and I hope they can gdo the same for my game.
They are real easy to talk to too. I am happy with the (coaching) change."
Giving
up safety will be a hard thing to do for one of the country's hardest hitting
defensive backs.
"I hope I can go both ways, really. I love contact.
It does not matter where I play. I just want to be on the field helping Ole Miss
out."
Most prospects are sitting anxiously ready to sign their name
on the dotted line but Tig is as cool as he is on the field.
"I am
just chilling, watching TV. I am actually watching the Arkansas/LSU game on classics.
I love how McFadden runs. He can go."
Tig was named to the prestigious
Parade All-American team recently. He also participated in the Army All-American
game. Darius set a Class 5A rushing record with over 2, 900 yards and 38 TD's
while missing 2 games of action.
Sr Season against Grenada
Watch Video
So
Season in championship game against Meridian
Watch Video