Former Norview Star D.J. Mack Headed to ODU
It'll be home sweet home for Darriel 'D.J.' Mack in 2021. The Norfolk native and former Norview High star is returning to his hometown to play College Football for Coach Ricky Rahne and the Old Dominion University Monarchs of Conference USA.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound dual-threat signal caller spent two seasons at Central Florida, which ascended to national prominence during his time there and won 25 consecutive games over a span of 745 days before falling to LSU, 40-32, in the Fiesta Bowl. Mack started that game against an LSU team, quarterbacked by 2020 first overall NFL Draft pick Joe Burrow, that went on to win the National Championship the next season.
That was Mack's last of three starts at UCF, where he threw for 838 yards and seven touchdowns over 17 games along with 516 yards rushing and nine scores. But it was his second start that earned him his most significant recognition.
Against Memphis in the AAC Championship Game in Orland, Mack rallied the Knights from down 17 at the half to a 56-41 victory over the Tigers, finishing with 348 yards passing and six total touchdowns to earn MVP honors. Another highlight included a 70-yard touchdown run at Connecticut, marking the second longest run by a QB ever in UCF history.
Rivals rated Mack a three-star prospect, No. 25 at his position and No. 26 in the state overall among prospects in the Class of 2017. At Norview, he helped the Pilots reach the State Semifinals, where they fell to eventual Class 5 State Champion Highland Springs. As a senior though, he put up gaudy numbers in the form of 2975 passing yards and 1127 rushing yards for a total of 4312 yards - tenth on the VHSL's single-season chart. That went along with 52 touchdowns accounted for that season with the Pilots.
In 2019, Mack was among four quarterback battling for the starting job when a broken ankle sustained during a non-football related activity prior to the start of fall camp proved to derail his hopes of being atop the depth chart. He was one of ten Knights to opt out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns before ultimately entering the transfer portal.
ODU, which was one of just a couple FBS programs along with Connecticut not to play football in 2020, is scheduled to open up its 2021 campaign on September 4th at Wake Forest.
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.