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Determined Epps lands scholarship to FCS school
Regan Hill
Statesville tight end Darrell Epps averaged 20 yards per catch during his senior season with the Greyhounds.
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Published: July 5, 2009
It may have been the best bet Darrell Epps ever made. And it's certainly been the most profitable.
Two years ago, the Statesville graduate made a $5 wager with one of his friends.
As a direct result, Epps has secured a scholarship to play football at Football Championship Subdivision school Charleston Southern.
"Getting that scholarship took a little weight off my chest," Epps said with a chuckle. "This whole thing has been pretty crazy."
Epps found a Division I school for which to play despite not having any sort of background in football when he moved to Statesville in 10th grade.
An avid basketball player, Epps has only played two years of organized football — his junior and senior years at Statesville.
And he only played to pocket some spare change from his buddy, former Greyhounds quarterback T.J. McCombs.
"During open gym tryouts for basketball my sophomore year, T.J. bet me that I wouldn't try out for football next year," Epps said, laughing. "We bet $5. It was a blessing, in a sense. I never would have played if it wasn't for that bet."
Joining the football team was a new experience for Epps, but it's far from the biggest change he's made over the last four years.
Epps lives in Statesville with his aunt, Ashaunta Epps, after he decided to leave his somewhat troubled past behind him in South Carolina.
Growing up in Kingstree, S.C., Darrell Epps got involved with a rough crowd at an early age.
"I wouldn't say that I was affiliated with a gang, but I hung out with the wrong crew, so to speak," Darrell Epps said. "We did some stealing here and there, just little things like candy bars."
Epps got caught one night after he and his friends tried to steal a movie.
Which flick?
"Friday Night Lights."
"Pretty ironic, huh?" Ashaunta Epps said with a laugh.
After getting busted, Epps went home and called every one of his aunts and uncles.
His intent was to get out of Kingstree, a tiny town located 90 minutes north of Charleston and 90 minutes west of Myrtle Beach, as quickly as possible.
"I wasn't going in the path I felt I should be going into coming out of middle school," Darrell Epps said. "I was doing things I knew I shouldn't be doing. I felt like if I got away, I would see the bigger picture and have a better future. I thought I needed to get away and get a fresh start.
"I didn't really want to go through high school being around the same people, knowing that nothing was going to change."
Darrell Epps ended up living with Ashaunta Epps because she was the first person to get his message and return the call.
"I guess that's where I was meant to be," Darrell Epps said.
Ashaunta Epps took Darrell under several conditions, including keeping his grades up to a certain level.
"We signed contracts and all that good stuff," Ashaunta Epps said. "He's lived up to his end of the bargain. It's been wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
After taking Darrell in, Ashaunta saw firsthand his growth both on the football field and off.
Darrell Epps was understandably raw when he joined Statesville's football team as a junior.
After catching four passes in 2007 — three that went for touchdowns — he emerged as a legit deep threat from tight end in 2008.
He had 400 receiving yards and averaged better than 20 yards per catch to lead the county.
Still, the recruiting process was going slow. In fact, the much ballyhooed National Signing Day came and went without Epps having an official offer.
"We left a lot of the recruiting process up to my coaches," Darrell Epps said. "I did get a little down on myself. Then about (six) weeks ago, I decided to do something about it."
Epps typed up an e-mail about himself and sent it off to approximately 150 colleges. He included links to his personal Web site and football clips he uploaded onto YouTube.
Within three days, he had four offers.
Budding FCS schools like The Citadel and South Carolina State did not have any more money for recruits, but asked Epps to join the team as a walk-on and receive a full scholarship from next year's batch.
Charleston Southern, though, was the perfect fit.
"The main thing was they had my major (athletic training)," Epps said. "The campus has a lot of history to it. I had already applied to the school last year, and received an academic scholarship, so I have that as well as football."
By attending college in Charleston, Epps is in essence returning home.
He'll be around his parents, other family members and perhaps even bump into some of his old friends when he goes home to visit.
Neither Darrell nor his aunt are worried, though.
"He's just grown up so much," Ashaunta Epps said. "I think Darrell has shown that, even if everyone else has given up on you, never give up on yourself."
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