Darien Rencher may not be a household name outside the walls of Clemson football or beyond the Upstate of South Carolina, but that does not mean his impact isn’t felt across the globe or that he doesn’t embody what it means to be special.
Rencher is back for his sixth season with Clemson football joining fellow Tigers Jamie Skalski, Regan Upshaw, Nolan Turner, and Will Spiers. While three of those last four have seen a lot more playing time than Darien that does not mean that they will leave a bigger impact than he will.
According to the running back, coming out of T.L. Hanna, he had torn both ACLs and lost all of his offers but was able to walk on for Clemson football, which he has called his “dream school” numerous times over his career and eventually earned a scholarship.
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While his career stats will never pop out at you, he has cemented his legacy at Clemson.
While former quarterback Trevor Lawrence gets a lot of attention for “saving college football” during the 2020 covid season, Darien Rencher was just as instrumental. He also had a lot to do with the organization of the peaceful protest that took place last June where more than three thousand members of the Clemson community showed up to demand change.
For all of his efforts in 2020, Rencher was awarded the 2020 Disney Spirit award which is annually “awarded to college football’s most inspirational individual.”
He is also a nominee for the 2021 Wuerffel Trophy which honors “college football’s most impactful leaders in community service, The Wuerffel Trophy is presented to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.”
When Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney talks about all that it takes to be part of Clemson, not just the football program, the University in general – all describe Darien Rencher; from doing common things in an uncommon way to letting the light that shines in you be brighter than the light that shines on you.
While he will only have one more season on the field, there is no doubt that Darien will not only continue to impact the Clemson community but also communities far beyond the Upstate of South Carolina.