Former Norview High star QB is returning to his roots
Mack Jr. looks forward to life as a Monarch
Darriel “DJ” Mack Jr. remains in Florida, but he’s coming home later this month to stay.
The former Norview High star, who spent the past three seasons at Central Florida, announced last month that he’s transferring to Old Dominion. Mack, the 2016 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year, will have two years of eligibility.
“I was just ready for a different environment and just be able to show what I can do somewhere else,” Mack said. “I wasn’t disappointed in anything that happened
at UCF. It happened for a reason. … It was the best opportunity for me.”
Mack, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, spent his freshman season on the scout team at UCF. He had his
coming-out party as a redshirt freshman when he played in 10 games, including three starts. He threw for 619 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 337 yards and six touchdowns.
But the game he’ll be remembered for was the 2018 American Athletic Conference championship game against Memphis. With starting quarterback McKenzie Milton out for the season, Mack rallied the Knights from a 17-point halftime deficit to win 56-41.
Mack, in only his second start for the Knights, threw for 348 yards with one touchdown. He also rushed for 59 yards and four touchdowns and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Game. It was the most passing yards by a UCF freshman since Ryan Schneider in 2000, and his four rushing touchdowns tied the school’s single-game record and set an American Athletic Championship game record.
Mack calls that game his most memorable college game.
“For sure. Just being on the field with people I trust and that trust me, I loved being in that position to go out and make everybody happy,” he said. “That was definitely the best experience for me.”
But his sophomore season got off to a bad start when he suffered a broken ankle in a non-football activity and missed the start of camp.
He returned to play in nine games as a backup and threw for 219 yards and four touchdowns along with 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
But injuries to Mack and another quarterback opened the door for then-freshman Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 3,653 yards with 29 touchdowns in 2019. This season, Gabriel threw for 3,353 and 30 touchdowns in nine games.
“What happened is the kid took off,” Mack said about Gabriel. “I couldn’t blame them for that.”
Mack, though, worked tirelessly in the classroom and graduated early.
“I bumped up my class schedule. I was taking six to seven classes a semester, and four classes in the summer,” said Mack, who majored in human communication and minored in psychology. “Just to get my education for free and do it in three years is amazing. I’m proud of myself and everyone else is proud of me. That’s all that really matters.”
Mack, along with nine other UCF teammates, opted out of the 2020 season.
UCF coach Josh Heupel
addressed the news before the season.
“Everybody’s perspective and situation with (COVID19) is different, and they’re all valid and real,” Heupel told the Tampa Bay Times in September. “Each of these kids that chose to opt out have different reasons behind their decision. ... We support those guys and continue to help them.”
The American Athletic Conference — along with other conferences — indicated all athletes who opt out of fall sports because of COVID-19concernswillhave their scholarships honored.
That opened the door for Mack, with degree in hand, to look elsewhere. He entered the transfer portal in November.
Old Dominion became a perfect choice for several reasons.
“It being in Norfolk was definitely a plus for me,” Mack said. “With COVID going on, I couldn’t take any visits anywhere. I feel
comfortable being there just because I went to high school there.”
At Norview High, Mack — a three-star prospect — threw for 2,975 yards, ran for 1,127 yards and accounted for 52 total touchdowns. His 4,132 combined yards rank 10th on the Virginia High School League’s single-season list.
Mack joins an ODU quarterback group that includes redshirt senior Stone Smartt and redshirt freshman Hayden Wolff. Smartt threw for 1,006 yards and a touchdown with six interceptions in 10 games last season, while Wolf started three of the final four games and threw for 737 yards.
The Monarchs also have a high-profile transfer at running back. Ricky Slade, a former five-star recruit, transferred from Penn State during the summer.
ODU — with a new coach in former Penn State assistant Ricky Rahne — was one of only three FBS teams to
opt out of the 2020 season.
Mack said he doesn’t feel any pressure.
“I just believe it’s me playing football. That’s how I think of it,” he said. “I’m not really focused onthepressure to perform. I’m just trying to be the best person I can be and make everyone around me proud. ... I’m definitely excited just being able to be in position to go compete.”
Mack also hopes other local athletes who have gone elsewhere to play and are thinking about transferring will consider about Old Dominion.
“Absolutely, not only that, I’m trying to get some kids to come home that ODU may have missed out on coming out of high school, and they went to other schools ... try to bring them back home,” he said. “That would be special and add some special memories of playing at ODU.”