BOULDER, Colo. (AP)—Sophomore tailback Darrell Scott, the biggest recruiting prize in coach Dan Hawkins’ four-year tenure at Colorado, is leaving the program after 1 1/2 season filled with injuries and frustration.
Scott told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he’s planning to finish out the semester in Boulder as he decides on where he’ll transfer, but he acknowledged UCLA remains a strong possibility.
Before this season, Scott’s uncle, wide receiver Josh Smith, transferred from the Buffaloes to UCLA, where he is sitting out the year.
“They have a really good program,” Scott said of the Bruins. “I’ve been watching them for a while.”
Scott was considered a coup for the Buffaloes when he selected them over Big 12 rival Texas and other big-time suitors two years ago.
But the 6-foot-1, 220-pound tailback never lived up to the hype in Boulder, in large part because of injuries. He had arthroscopic knee surgery on Oct. 22 to clean up cartilage after getting hurt in the second game of the season at Toledo.
Injuries also forced him to miss playing time as a freshman, when he was slow to grasp the college game after a stellar stint at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Calif., which he led to a state championship as a senior.
Scott said he has no regrets about picking Colorado, however.
“You can’t turn back the hands of time,” explained Scott, who said he plans to meet with CU athletic director Mike Bohn on Wednesday. “You’ve got to do what you do. I chose to come here.”
Scott, a dynamic kick returner even while he was fighting for snaps in the backfield, declined to say whether he was dissatisfied with his role in the Buffaloes’ offense.
“I think it’s the professional thing to do,” Scott said.
Scott was contending with Rodney Stewart and Demetrius Sumler for playing time this season. He had just one carry in the season opener against Colorado State but showed flashes of his ability at Toledo when he gained 85 yards on 12 carries. He also set a school record for the most yards on kickoff returns in a game, finishing with 204 on eight returns.
But he dinged up his knee in the Toledo game and didn’t play the next week against Wyoming when he aggravated the injury during pregame warmups.
Scott had a combined 10 carries over the next three games before undergoing surgery.
He said his knee is “healing up really good” as he progresses through rehabilitation. Scott was looking at an outside chance of a return Saturday against Texas A&M.
That is, before his announcement.
Running backs coach Darian Hagan was disappointed by the decision, finding out through a text message that Scott had sent him Tuesday morning. Hagan was instrumental in recruiting Scott to Boulder, then served as his mentor.
“It’s unfortunate that he decided he had to leave,” Hagan said after practice Tuesday night. “He has to do what he has to do, but I just wish he had done it a different way … I had no idea he was even thinking about it. I’d asked him on different occasions, was he OK, was he thinking about transferring because I heard people saying stuff. I told him to be a man about it and look me in the eye, and he said, ‘Nah, coach, I’ve never thought about it.’ So today was a total surprise for me.”
The same goes for his teammates, who were completely caught off guard.
“He never said anything,” receiver Scotty McKnight said. “If he did, I would have tried to keep him here … Maybe he felt this is the best thing for him and that’s the way it goes.”
The Buffaloes are off to a rough start this season, slipping to 2-6 after a loss to Missouri last weekend. Hawkins is on the hot seat and now a once coveted recruit is leaving town.
But football goes on.
“He’s just one of the guys who jumped off the bus,” Stewart said of Scott. “We just have to keep moving, the bus don’t stop.”
As for sitting out the rest of the season, Scott said it will be a difficult assignment.
“But at the same time it will motivate me to do what I have to get done, which is finish strong on the grades, get this knee right and hit the weight room,” Scott said. “I made a lot of friends over here. Buff nation is amazing. I’m going to miss it—I can tell you that much.”
AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver contributed to this report.
