When he looks in the mirror every morning, two tattoos on Darren Waller’s chest remind him to keep striving. One is a lion with blood in its mouth. The other is a Bible verse written on a scroll, 2 Chronicles 15:7.
It reads, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
The Georgia Tech wide receiver got both tattoos this summer, his first attempts at indelible body art. They are timely, if also permanent, mementos of a critical juncture in the career of the junior from North Cobb High. By a wide margin, Waller is the most experienced player at his position, one who will be called on to produce and also lead an inexperienced group.
“Now, it’s my chance to be a clear-cut No. 1 (receiver),” Waller said. “I’ve got to change my attitude, and I’ve got to bring energy, whereas before I could be on my own and just work.”
While wide receivers hardly are the hub of the Tech offense, they nonetheless serve a critical role, providing perimeter blocking and also the threat of a vertical passing attack. Particularly in this season, when likely starting quarterback Vad Lee offers the potential to open up the Yellow Jackets’ passing game, Tech will need contributions from the wide receivers in its pursuit of the ACC championship.
It’s a big task, however. Waller has 10 career starts and eight career catches for 162 yards, all last season. With Anthony Autry out for the season after re-tearing his ACL, he is the only receiver with any catches or starts. Others are Travin Henry, who redshirted last season after tearing his ACL; Micheal Summers, who was a redshirt; Corey Dennis, who has mostly played on special teams; incoming freshmen Ricky Jeune and Antonio Messick; and DeAndre Smelter, who is joining the team after three seasons on the baseball team.
“I can’t let the receivers be a weak part of the team,” he said. “I’ve got to step up.”
He has sweated away in team strength-and-conditioning workouts — grappling with medicine balls and kettle bells — taken part in 7-on-7 passing sessions and worked one-on-one with Lee. Two quick reports from Waller — in their passing drills together, he said that Lee is “like a coach out there.” Smelter, who last played football in high school in 2009, is raw, but has “got a lot of range. He’s got, like, big-play ability.”
“I’ve definitely seen a change in Darren this offseason,” A-back Robert Godhigh said. “He’s definitely pushing himself to be great and to prepare himself to do big things this season.”
Waller, 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, may not have quite the blistering speed that predecessors Demaryius Thomas and Stephen Hill flashed on their way to the NFL, but he’s got enough to go with his frame to be dangerous. He demonstrated it last season, when he hauled in a 68-yard pass from Lee against North Carolina and made two key catches in the ACC Championship game against Florida State.
It is why former guard and 2012 team captain Omoregie Uzzi made a point to repeatedly tell him last season of the opportunity he had in an offense that often creates one-on-one matchups for the receivers and the opportunity for big plays.
“He definitely has the talent,” Uzzi said. “It’s just up to him to take advantage of it.”
The Jackets have a little more than a month to go before beginning preseason camp workouts and a little more than two before the first game against Elon (Aug. 31). A young man with a bloodthirsty lion on his chest awaits the challenge.
“People want to see me do great things,” Waller said. “I want to do great things in return.”
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