Darren D'Waun Grainger (born July 21, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Furman Paladins and the Georgia State Panthers.
| No. 00 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 21, 2000 Conway, South Carolina |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Conway (Conway, South Carolina) |
| College: | Furman (2018–2019) Georgia State (2021–2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life and high school
editGrainger grew up in Conway, South Carolina and attended Conway High School where he lettered in football and basketball. He was an unranked quarterback recruit and committed to play at Furman.[2]
College career
editFurman
editDuring Grainger's true freshman season in 2018, he played in four games and started one of them. He finished the season with completing 13 out of 27 passing attempts for 181 yards, two interceptions and two touchdowns and was awarded a redshirt along with an extra year of eligibility. During the 2019 season, he played in all 13 games and finished the season with completing 79 out of 161 passing attempts for 1,222 yards, three interceptions and 13 touchdowns.[3]
On December 23, 2020, Grainger announced that he would be transferring to Georgia State.[4][5]
Georgia State
editDuring the 2021 season, he played in all 13 games and finished the season with completing 136 out of 228 passing attempts for 1,715 yards, four interceptions and 19 touchdowns.[6] He was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against Coastal Carolina where he completed 18 out of 24 passing attempts for 198 yards and two touchdowns.[7] During the 2021 Camellia Bowl, he passed for 203 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 122 yards and was named the game's MVP.[8][9] During the 2022 season, he played in 11 games and finished the season with completing 158 out of 272 passing attempts for 2,257 yards, six interceptions and 16 touchdowns.[10] For his performance on the 2022 season, Grainger was named an all Sun-Belt honorable mention.[11]
During the 2023 season, Grainger was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after his performance during the Week 3 game against Charlotte where he completed 27 out of 33 passing attempts for 466 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 23 yards and a touchdown.[12][13]
Professional career
edit| 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[14] | ||||||||||||
On May 25, 2024, Grainger signed to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[15] He was released on June 2, 2024.[16] Late in the season, he was re-signed by the Blue Bombers on September 16, 2024, to a practice roster agreement.[17]
References
edit- ^ Werner, Barry (December 23, 2023). "Georgia State gives Shawn Elliott french fry bath after Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win". Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Darren Grainger, Conway, Dual-Threat Quarterback". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Darren Grainger". Furman Paladins.
- ^ Wellham, David. "Georgia State adds transfer quarterback". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Georgia State adds Furman starting quarterback Darren Grainger as transfer". Gwinnett Daily-Post. January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Darren Grainger 2021 Gamelog". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Darren Grainger". Georgia State Panthers.
- ^ "Georgia State Beats Ball State 51-20 in Camellia Bowl". WAKA. December 25, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Zenor, John (December 26, 2021). "Grainger gifts Georgia State a 51-20 Camellia Bowl win". AP News. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Darren Grainger 2022 Gamelog". Sports Reference.
- ^ Awtrey, Stan. "Georgia State quarterback adds more vocal leadership to his beefed-up body". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Grainger named Sun Belt offensive player of the week". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Awtrey, Stan. "Georgia State's Darren Grainger wants repeat performance at Coastal Carolina". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Darren Grainger College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "Swapping arms: Bombers release QB Eric Barriere, sign Georgia State pivot Darren Grainger". 3downnation.com. May 25, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Hodge, John (June 2, 2024). "Winnipeg Blue Bombers release 29, including preseason hero Chris Smith". 3downnation.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved September 17, 2024.