Darren Grainger
American gridiron football quarterback (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darren D'Waun Grainger (born July 21, 2000) is an American former football quarterback. He played college football for the Furman Paladins and the Georgia State Panthers.
Conway, South Carolina, U.S.
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 21, 2000 Conway, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Conway (Conway, South Carolina) |
| College | Furman (2018–2019) Georgia State (2021–2023) |
| NFL draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life
Grainger attended Conway High School in Conway, South Carolina, where he lettered in football and basketball. He was an unranked quarterback recruit and committed to play at Furman.[2]
College career
Furman
As a freshman in 2018, Grainger played in four games and started one. He completed 13 of 27 passing attempts for 181 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns and was given a redshirt. In 2019, Grainger played in all 13 games and completed 79 of 161 passing attempts for 1,222 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions.[3]
On December 23, 2020, Grainger announced that he would be transferring to Georgia State.[4]
Georgia State
In 2021, Grainger played all 13 games and completed 136 of 228 passing attempts for 1,715 yards, 19 touchdowns, and four interceptions.[5] He was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he completed 18 of 24 passing attempts for 198 yards and two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina.[6] In the 2021 Camellia Bowl, Grainger passed for 203 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 122 yards and won game MVP honors.[7] In 2022, he played in 11 games and completed 158 of 272 passing attempts for 2,257 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions,[5] earning all Sun-Belt honorable mention.[8]
In 2023, Grainger was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after completing 27 of 33 passing attempts for 466 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 23 yards and a touchdown against Charlotte.[9]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2018 | Furman | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 13 | 27 | 48.1 | 181 | 6.7 | 2 | 2 | 114.1 | 42 | 37 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2019 | Furman | 13 | 11 | 7–4 | 79 | 161 | 49.1 | 1,222 | 7.6 | 13 | 3 | 135.7 | 93 | 316 | 3.4 | 5 |
| 2021 | Georgia State | 13 | 11 | 8–3 | 136 | 228 | 59.6 | 1,715 | 7.5 | 19 | 4 | 146.8 | 133 | 660 | 5.0 | 3 |
| 2022 | Georgia State | 12 | 12 | 4–8 | 174 | 297 | 58.6 | 2,443 | 8.2 | 18 | 7 | 143.0 | 164 | 734 | 4.5 | 6 |
| 2023 | Georgia State | 13 | 13 | 7–6 | 244 | 358 | 68.2 | 2,621 | 7.3 | 20 | 7 | 144.2 | 159 | 736 | 4.6 | 10 |
| FCS Totals | 17 | 12 | 7–5 | 92 | 188 | 48.9 | 1,403 | 7.5 | 15 | 5 | 132.6 | 135 | 353 | 2.6 | 5 | |
| FBS Totals | 38 | 36 | 19–17 | 554 | 883 | 62.7 | 6,779 | 7.7 | 57 | 18 | 144.5 | 456 | 2,130 | 4.7 | 19 | |
| Career | 55 | 48 | 26–22 | 646 | 1,071 | 60.3 | 8,182 | 7.6 | 72 | 23 | 142.4 | 591 | 2,483 | 4.2 | 24 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | 33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.84 s | 1.66 s | 2.81 s | 4.47 s | 7.62 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) | ||
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
On May 25, 2024, Grainger signed to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[11] He was released on June 2, 2024.[12] Late in the season, he was re-signed by the Blue Bombers on September 16, 2024, to a practice roster agreement.[13] He retired on January 27, 2025.[14]