10-31-2021, 07:41 PM
Christian Darrisaw takes his long-awaited place as Vikings left tackleFrom a young age, the first-round draft pick knew he would reach the NFL. But his path to the field hit roadblocks along the way.At a park adjacent to FedEx Field in Landover, Md., Christian Darrisaw got the first glimpse of a future as big as the oversized 4-year-old playing flag football for his church's youth program.
Nearly two decades before Darrisaw impressed in his first start as the Vikings' left tackle two weeks ago in Carolina, he was gazing up at Washington's home field. From an early age, he displayed the quiet confidence he's shown as a two-star recruit at Virginia Tech and a first-round NFL draft pick.
"I'd look at the kids while they were on the field and tell them to look up through the tree line and see the stadium and hold onto that," said pastor and coach Jeff Wooten. "Christian was that kid who says, 'Oh, I'm going to the league.'"
Darrisaw's path to the field was not as direct as crossing the parking lot.
But family and former coaches say the 6-foot-5, 315-pound "lion with a puppy heart" was steeled for the core muscle injury that delayed his Vikings debut after he was chosen 23rd overall, the fourth offensive tackle taken. It was just another obstacle in a journey of many for a tough, quiet kid whose commitment was forged watching his favorite NFL teams, Philadelphia and Washington, on television.
"Watching like Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson and all those guys, like man, I want to do this one day," said Darrisaw, 22. "It hit me as I kept going through my career, like, we can make something out of this. I have a chance, really. As I got older, the chances were getting better and better for me."
Darrisaw, the only child of Kim Cherry and Jerronney Darrisaw, was mostly raised by his mother and grandmother in Maryland. His parents, who never married, lead a dedicated support system and travel to nearly every football game, college and pro.
Darrisaw built his foundation during childhood days volunteering at fundraisers and playing youth sports in the City of Praise Family Church in Landover, about 30 miles south of where he expects his biggest cheering section of the season Nov. 7 in Baltimore.
He was the tallest kid by 9 years old, said Wooten, who figured Darrisaw was about 5-6 when he towered over kids in flag football, and as a first baseman and cleanup hitter in baseball. He would get pain in his knees and back, leading to a doctor's visit where he was told that's essentially the cost of playing sports as a big kid.
"Kind of like growing pains, in a sense," Cherry said.
Darrisaw was a tall target for the Spirit of Faith Youth football team, playing tight end before he made the move to full-time offensive tackle at Riverdale Baptist, a private high school just outside the D.C. beltway. Former Warriors coach Dion Golatt, the father of Darrisaw's best friend D.J. Golatt, said he'd put Darrisaw in the backfield for handoffs, too.
"Early mornings, I was training with the skill guys," Darrisaw said. "That's what kind of got me my good feet."
With his footwork and long arms, he blossomed into a three-year starter and team captain for Caesar Nettles, the former Riverside Baptist coach who recalled Darrisaw impressing against a nearby school's top defender named Chase Young. Before Young was a star at Ohio State and the second overall pick in 2020 to Washington, he was playing Darrisaw in scrimmages for DeMatha Catholic.
"I don't know what more [colleges] needed to see," Nettles said.
Darrisaw was on the radar of top college programs, according to Nettles, but unofficial visits at Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers and Penn State didn't net official offers. He was ranked a two-star recruit. Questions loomed about his college position and academic standing. But Virginia Tech was sold when then-Hokies receivers coach Holmon Wiggins noticed the lanky tackle while recruiting a different Riverdale Baptist player.
Soon after, the Hokies offered Darrisaw a spot. But lingering academic questions led to a semester at Fork Union, a military school for boys.
"Not necessarily going to college right away, having to go to prep school and work through that situation," Golatt said, "he just continued to put his head down, work hard and listen."
Rest of story here:
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-left...600111653/
Nearly two decades before Darrisaw impressed in his first start as the Vikings' left tackle two weeks ago in Carolina, he was gazing up at Washington's home field. From an early age, he displayed the quiet confidence he's shown as a two-star recruit at Virginia Tech and a first-round NFL draft pick.
"I'd look at the kids while they were on the field and tell them to look up through the tree line and see the stadium and hold onto that," said pastor and coach Jeff Wooten. "Christian was that kid who says, 'Oh, I'm going to the league.'"
Darrisaw's path to the field was not as direct as crossing the parking lot.
But family and former coaches say the 6-foot-5, 315-pound "lion with a puppy heart" was steeled for the core muscle injury that delayed his Vikings debut after he was chosen 23rd overall, the fourth offensive tackle taken. It was just another obstacle in a journey of many for a tough, quiet kid whose commitment was forged watching his favorite NFL teams, Philadelphia and Washington, on television.
"Watching like Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson and all those guys, like man, I want to do this one day," said Darrisaw, 22. "It hit me as I kept going through my career, like, we can make something out of this. I have a chance, really. As I got older, the chances were getting better and better for me."
Darrisaw, the only child of Kim Cherry and Jerronney Darrisaw, was mostly raised by his mother and grandmother in Maryland. His parents, who never married, lead a dedicated support system and travel to nearly every football game, college and pro.
Darrisaw built his foundation during childhood days volunteering at fundraisers and playing youth sports in the City of Praise Family Church in Landover, about 30 miles south of where he expects his biggest cheering section of the season Nov. 7 in Baltimore.
He was the tallest kid by 9 years old, said Wooten, who figured Darrisaw was about 5-6 when he towered over kids in flag football, and as a first baseman and cleanup hitter in baseball. He would get pain in his knees and back, leading to a doctor's visit where he was told that's essentially the cost of playing sports as a big kid.
"Kind of like growing pains, in a sense," Cherry said.
Darrisaw was a tall target for the Spirit of Faith Youth football team, playing tight end before he made the move to full-time offensive tackle at Riverdale Baptist, a private high school just outside the D.C. beltway. Former Warriors coach Dion Golatt, the father of Darrisaw's best friend D.J. Golatt, said he'd put Darrisaw in the backfield for handoffs, too.
"Early mornings, I was training with the skill guys," Darrisaw said. "That's what kind of got me my good feet."
With his footwork and long arms, he blossomed into a three-year starter and team captain for Caesar Nettles, the former Riverside Baptist coach who recalled Darrisaw impressing against a nearby school's top defender named Chase Young. Before Young was a star at Ohio State and the second overall pick in 2020 to Washington, he was playing Darrisaw in scrimmages for DeMatha Catholic.
"I don't know what more [colleges] needed to see," Nettles said.
Darrisaw was on the radar of top college programs, according to Nettles, but unofficial visits at Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers and Penn State didn't net official offers. He was ranked a two-star recruit. Questions loomed about his college position and academic standing. But Virginia Tech was sold when then-Hokies receivers coach Holmon Wiggins noticed the lanky tackle while recruiting a different Riverdale Baptist player.
Soon after, the Hokies offered Darrisaw a spot. But lingering academic questions led to a semester at Fork Union, a military school for boys.
"Not necessarily going to college right away, having to go to prep school and work through that situation," Golatt said, "he just continued to put his head down, work hard and listen."
Rest of story here:
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-left...600111653/
