Darian Roseboro is on a mission to make his father proud.
The senior defensive end for the NC State football team has gone through a range of difficult emotions over the last decade, culminating in his father Johnny Roseboro passing away Oct. 7, 2017, at age 43 in Lincolnton, N.C. Roseboro’s father battled kidney issues, but then his liver gave way in his final months.
Roseboro was developing as a superstar at Lincolnton High, playing running back, tight end, defensive end and wherever else he was needed. His junior year was when his father’s health became more grim. The family hoped that Johnny would live another 15-20 years, but Darian also understood that his father might not make it to his high school graduation.
“He and I had talks every day," Roseboro said. "He was a fighter. We had some really heart-to-heart conversations because my dad and I were really close.”
Roseboro played with a heavy heart against Louisville on Oct. 5, knowing it might be the last game his father would be alive for. Johnny Roseboro passed away two days later. The medications he needed over the years had taken a toll on his body.
“What messed up his liver was the medication he was on,” Roseboro recalled. “It worked 80 percent of the time, and they thought it would help his liver, but it didn’t.”
Roseboro played at Pittsburgh on Oct. 14, and on the Panthers’ last possession he sacked quarterback Ben DiNucci for a loss of 12 yards. Then two plays later forced a fumble against DiNucci to close out the game.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren gave Roseboro the game ball following the contest, and a wave of emotions overcame the 6-foot-4, 287-pounder.
“I have always been close to these coaches, and they’ve been good to me and my family,” Roseboro said. “I think everything happens for a reason, and I’m at NC State for a reason.
“Coach Doeren and [defensive line coach] Coach [Kevin] Patrick have been really good to me. They understood that I’d come back at my own pace. To be back where I am mentally, it was going to take some time for me.”
Roseboro flirted with the notion of entering the NFL Draft, but after soul-searching with his mother Angela Roseboro, and the support of his girlfriend, Aislinn Konig, who is a sophomore guard on the Wolfpack women’s basketball team, he’s back for his senior year, and he has some big goals.
“I was really considering the NF], and I realize everyone is different,” Roseboro said. “My journey is different than everybody else. I felt the best thing for me and my family was to come back and finish what I started and help this team be the best team it can be.”
Angela Roseboro conveyed to her son that he shouldn’t feel the pressure to help the family if he has unfinished business at NC State. Getting his sports management degree was a promise Darian made to his father, and he’s on track to graduate this May. He hopes to always remain in sports after his playing days are over.
“It was really all about making the promise I made to my dad before he passed,” Roseboro said. “I want to finish my degree. There is nothing wrong with coming back for another year and working on things and becoming better.”
Roseboro looks back on his junior year and understands how his play was affected by everything he was experiencing. He finished with 33 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The numbers were down from when he had 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his sophomore year.
“I feel like it was all about my finish my junior year,” Roseboro said. “I lost my dad, and it was hard. I was in a tough place with a lot on my plate. That is probably the hardest adversity I’ve ever faced. Looking back on my junior year, it was kind of a disappointment.
"I understand why. It was a learning lesson, and I have to come back and be better.”
After watching the development of defensive ends Bradley Chubb and Kentavius Street the last three years, he knows the blueprint for success. However, the defensive line is going to be completely different with four senior starters from last year's team all likely off the NFL.
“It does feel different because I’ve played with those guys most of my career,” Roseboro said. “The culture is still the same, and the culture is on the rise."
Chubb is a potential top 5 choice in the upcoming NFL Draft, and Roseboro isn’t hiding his ambition to be a high draft pick in a year. To that end, he knows hard work will be the key to success.
“I want to be a first-round pick,” Roseboro said. “That has always been my goal since I was a little kid. I also want to be ACC champion and national champion. It will take all of us to be on the same page, working and buying in.”
Chubb, Street and defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Justin Jones won’t be easy to replace. Roseboro is ready for that challenge and aims to be a team leader this season. He is normally shy with the media, but understands that is part of being one of the new faces of the program.
“You see some things that were in the older guys that are now with the younger guys as far as work ethic, being committed, being bought all the way in,” Roseboro said. “The priority for the d-line as a whole is to get everybody on the same page, so we can play as one. It takes four guys to get a sack. It takes all four of us to make a play.”
Roseboro earned the start against Arizona State in the Sun Bowl and had three tackles and a pass breakup. That gave him a taste of what the future holds on the football field. He already knows what he wants to improve upon between now and the season opener against James Madison on Sept. 1.
“I want to be more consistent with my pass rush,” Roseboro said. “I want to increase my football IQ.”
Roseboro never has to look far for motivation. He has a tattoo on his left arm that has his father’s name with the date of his birth (Jan. 8, 1974) and the date of his passing (Oct. 7, 2017).
His family and the support of his hometown mean a lot to him. He also half-joked that he won’t be getting any more tattoos.
“I also have a tattoo on my back that has a quote shaped into a cross,” Roseboro said. “It says ‘My family is the compass that guides me and then they are my safe haven when I occasionally falter.’”
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
