Former Oregon WR Darren Carrington transfers to Utah (Update)
Update: July 27 – 1 p.m.
Ahead of his turn at Pac-12 Media Days on Thursday, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham confirmed on Pac-12 Network that ex-Oregon wideout Darren Carrington will indeed join the Utes.
Later at the podium, Whittingham went through the process of bringing in a player with a “checkered past.” He said it was a “tough decision.”
“You have to make a decision based on all the information you can gather. Based on the athlete’s attitude. You know, is he remorseful? Does he understand that he’s done some stupid things and ready to put it behind him and move on? There is so much that goes into it,” Whittingham said. “It’s a judgment call. You’re not always right. But I feel in this case it was the right thing to do to give Darren another opportunity.”
As of now, Whittingham said, Carrington is “not cleared to practice or compete.”
“There are still hurdles to go through,” he said. “He’s on campus right now, and we’re hoping that things get worked out. But there are some hurdles he has to get over before everything is a done deal.
Carrington’s father previously confirmed the decision to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Original story: July 25 – 4 p.m.
Former Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington didn’t have to go very far to find a new school.
According to multiple reports, including UteZone.com and Rivals’ UteNation.com, Darren Carrington has joined Utah. According to UteZone, while Carrington’s transfer is a done deal, the school won’t make an official announcement. It also means that Carrington will play vs. Oregon on Oct. 28.
Out of respect was waiting for official announcement before breaking on Twitter. Was informed this morning no official announcement coming.
— Michelle Bodkin (@MBodkinScout) July 25, 2017
Carrington was dismissed from the Ducks earlier in July after an arrest for DUI. He allegedly crashed his car in a McDonald’s drive-thru.
His Oregon career was tumultuous. While he was a productive receiver on the field, he failed a drug test and missed Oregon’s College Football Playoff National Championship game loss to Ohio State at the end of the 2014 season. And he was accused of pushing a man and breaking the man’s arm while dressed as the Joker around Halloween in 2016.
In three seasons with the Ducks, Carrington had 112 catches and 1,919 yards. Here’s how he could fit into the Utah offense courtesy of Ute Nation:
Darren Carrington looks on paper like the Utes’ best or second-best receiver right out of the gate. Raelon Singleton is his closest competitor, and both players should benefit from having the other on the other hashmark. If he can keep his priorities straight and if Coach Taylor and Troy Williams can figure out how to get him the ball, he could have a transformative impact on a Utah offense that looked to check every box but wide receiver coming into fall camp.
For more Utah news, visit UteZone.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
