A part of the rotation at nose tackle with Tyson Fernandez and Myquon Stout, Small looks to bottle up opposing run offenses while in the game and disrupt other teams’ passing offense ... a big-bodied, athletic nose tackle, Small will look to cause chaos on the defensive line this season.
2015: Appeared in 12 games last season with a total of 10 tackles (3 solo, 7 ast) ... assisted on two tackles against Georgia Southern ... recorded a tackle in the eight of 12 games he played in.
2014: Saw action in all 12 games with four starts at nose tackle ... was part of a nose tackle rotation that also included Tyson Fernandez and Stephen Burns ... saw the majority of his playing time in running situations ... finished the season with 10 tackles, a half-tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry ... registered a season-high three tackles (two solo) against Liberty ... saw an uptick in playing time in the final two games after Fernandez sustained a season-ending arm injury at Arkansas State and recorded two tackles apiece in wins over UL lafayette and Idaho.
2013: Began the season buried on the depth chart and didn’t see action in the first three games of the campaign ... made his collegiate debut against Charleston Southern but didn’t record any statistics ... one week late, made the first start of his career at The Citadel and registered six tackles, including a half-tackle behind the line of scrimmage ... started the next two games against Samford and Furman ... came off the bench against Georgia Southern and sustained a severe leg injury that required season-ending surgery ... finished the season with eight tackles.
2012: Redshirted.
High School: Led team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks as a senior, en route to second-team all-state and first-team all-metro Atlanta accolades … compiled 195 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 15 sacks over three prep seasons … two-time all-region and all-Southern Crescent honoree … three-time team MVP … participated in 2011 Georgia High School Senior All-Star Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and 2010 RisingSeniors.com Georgia Junior Bowl … coached by Jason Galt ... also lettered in track and field.
Personal: Full name is Darian Michael Small ... born Sept. 28, 1993 (turns 22 during season) ... son of Cynthia and Terry McGee ... majoring in management.
