By: Jeffery August and Jeremy Neal – The journey of Darrius Govan has been a true testament to perseverance. Darrius came from a single-parent household while being raised by his mother and grandmother. He started as a 6th grader in the Psi Alpha Weekly Mentoring Program at Davis Middle School with mentors/brothers Herbert Nance, Jeffery August, Keith Singleton, Kenneth Pulliams, William Watson, Willie Pope, and Orlando Richards. He was one of the more vocal sixth graders in a group of nine in the program. The weekly mentoring gave Darrius a solid foundation that was centered around leadership, career development, public speaking, anti-bullying, team building, scholarship, dress for success, and table etiquette. Darrius was a leader in April of 2017 when the mentoring group had its first major event where all mentees received tailored suits for the end-of-year banquet.
Photo: Omega Psi Phi
This leadership carried over into the following year as Darrius was selected to go to Xavier University in New Orleans for the Youth Leadership Conference in July of 2018. Darrius along with many youths in his age group spent the weekend in the university’s dormitories and had the chance to interact with students who attended the school during daily activities. Darrius attended multiple career day fairs sponsored by Spurs Entertainment, where he was given exposure to how to build his legacy as well as navigate through future career options.
Participating in the mentoring program through high school, Darrius was a member of the Sam Houston High School Football and Basketball teams. Although he received All-District honors in both sports and played in the H.E.B. All-Star Football game, scholarship was of the essence when it came to his mental makeup. Darrius graduated in the top 10% of his class and was featured in the Ernest Everett Just Foundation S.T.E.M. Program Magazine, while also receiving a scholarship from the EEJ Foundation. After graduating from Sam Houston, Darrius received a two-year football scholarship to Blinn Junior College where he starred on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive end. Even with his focus on attempting to lock down a scholarship to a Division 1 school, he found time to come back to his roots and mentor youths at Sam Houston High School, Davis Middle School, and Young Men’s Leadership Academy in San Antonio. His dedication to his craft paid off in early 2023 as he was offered walk-on opportunities at Troy State University (Alabama) and the University of Texas-San Antonio. Darrius opted to accept the walk-on offer to UTSA and in his first scrimmage, he recorded a sack and has been given a boost of confidence from his position coaches.
Darrius is an example of when you sow a seed into someone, it can blossom into something special!
