National Football Foundation

Ty Darlington was called “an athletics director in training” by Oklahoma Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione.
 
The recipient of the 2015 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award boasts an impressive academic resume as a two-time First-Team Academic All-American. Darlington maintained a 3.91 GPA while earning a bachelor’s degree in arts & sciences in just 2.5 years. He graduated in December 2014 and was working toward a master’s degree in higher education. His numerous Big 12 accolades include the Dr. Gerald Lage Award and two First-Team Academic All-Big 12 selections.
 
The Apopka, Fla., native played a key role in Oklahoma’s offense, leading the Sooners to the 2015 Big 12 Conference title and the College Football Playoff Semifinals after posting an 11-1 record in the regular season. Darlington led a Sooners offense that was nationally-ranked in the top five in scoring and the top 10 in total offense. The team captain helped the team average 45.8 points per game and outscore opponents by 300 points.
 
In 2014, he anchored a Sooner offensive line that allowed just nine sacks in 386 passing attempts. That season, Darlington was the lead blocker for running back Samaje Perine, who set the FBS single-game rushing record for yards in a game (427 vs. Kansas). He helped the Sooners to an 8-5 record and an appearance in the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl.
 
The recipient of the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy, his commitment to excellence extends to his work in community service, represented by his receiving of the 2015 University of Oklahoma Letzeiser Award, one of the highest student awards at OU.
 
He served as president of the Big 12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, led Oklahoma’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter as its president for two years, and has visited Haiti multiple times as part of the Mission of Hope program.
 
Darlington served as an Administrative Fellow for the Student-Athlete Experience at the University of Oklahoma while also doing work as an analyst and co-host for Sooner Sports TV during the 2016 season. After five seasons (2017-21) on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Oklahoma, he joined the football staff at Florida in 2022 in the role of quality control - tight ends.