As if Ronald Darby‘s true freshman season at Florida State wasn’t outstanding enough, it becomes even more impressive when viewed in the light of what most would consider a rather significant injury.
Dating back to his high school days, Darby has been bothered by a hernia that he both literally and figuratively simply ran through -- in addition to being a highly-touted football recruit, Darby is also something of a track phenom. The injury, though, had gotten to the point where simply running through it was no longer an option as the Orlando Sentinel reports the defensive back underwent surgery earlier this month to repair a sports hernia.
The procedure and subsequent rehab could sideline Darby through May, which would prevent him in participating in the Seminoles’ spring practice sessions that are set to commence in March. Darby could also miss the outdoor track season as a result of the surgery.
A Seminoles track coach told the Sentinel that, since Darby is on a football scholarship, they’ll defer to the football program as far as a timetable on a return to competition.
“We saw last year in high school that he had the injury last year and didn’t get it fixed and he didn’t run very well,” Ken Harnden said. “I would much rather get it right and come back and have him try to run really fast next year. So we’re not going to rush it.
“And they’re [the football program] paying the bills so we have to be careful with what we do over here.”
In 2012, Darby played in all 14 games and, at season’s end, was named the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. With fellow corner Xavier Rhodes leaving early for the NFL draft, Darby will be expected to play a more integral role in an FSU defense that’s been one of the top units in the country over the past couple of seasons.