2011-12 Football Roster

#45 Darius Fleming 2010-11 Football Roster

Outside Linebacker


Height 6'2''
Weight 247 lbs.
Class Junior
Hometown Chicago, IL
High School St. Rita
Darius Fleming - Football - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Bio

CAREER: Arguably quickest and most effective edge rusher on Irish roster … has played with hand on ground as defensive end as well as lined up in two-point stance as outside linebacker … through first three seasons has started 23 of 37 games played and totaled 103 tackles including 25.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks … active leader on the Irish in tackles for loss and yards from tackles for loss … active leader in sack yardage and second in total sacks (trails only Ethan Johnson) … saw action at outside linebacker in 2010 as Irish switched to 3-4 defense.

2010 (JUNIOR): Saw action in all 13 games of the season … one of 11 players to start all 13 games for the Irish this season … joined CB Gary Gray, DE Ethan Johnson, DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, S Harrison Smith, ILB Manti Te[apos]o and CB Darrin Walls as the only players on the defensive side of the ball to start all 13 games … collected 49 total tackles, including 27 solo and 22 assisted stops … led the Irish in tackles for loss with 11.0 (50 yards) and sacks with six (40 yards) … collected one solo tackle against Purdue … tallied six tackles, including a pair of solo stops, and two pass breakups against Michigan … added six more tackles, including four solo stops, and two for loss (both sacks) versus Michigan State … recorded four tackles, including one for loss against Stanford … registered six tackles, three solo, and one and a half for loss (both sacks) in the victory over Pittsburgh … recorded his first career interception against Western Michigan; also added a pass breakup … also added a half sack versus the Broncos for a loss of six yards … contributed five tackles against Navy … recorded two sacks for a loss of 12 yards and four tackles against Tulsa … posted three solo stops, including one for loss, in the victory over Army at Yankee Stadium … recorded a career-high tying seven tackles, including a career-best five solo stops, in the regular season-ending victory at USC … added one tackle for loss against the Trojans … helped the Irish defense allow just two offensive touchdowns over its last four games of the regular season (Tulsa, Utah, Army and USC) … the Irish rush defense was dominant over its last three games of the regular season (victories over Utah, Army and USC), limiting the Utes, Black Knights and Trojans to an average of 93.3 yards on the ground … recorded three tackles, including two solo stops, with a tackle for loss and one pass breakup in the victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Hyundai Sun Bowl … totaled 728 snaps on defense, the second most of any Irish linebacker.

2009 (SOPHOMORE): Versatile playmaker spent time at both linebacker and defensive end during 2009 season, appearing in 11 contests (did not play against Washington) and starting seven games (did not start against Boston College, Pittsburgh, Connecticut or Stanford) … led Irish with 12 tackles for loss, recorded second-most sacks with three and ranked 10th on the team with 29 tackles … spent more time in opponents[apos] backfield than any other Irish player, with nearly 42 percent of his tackles occurring behind line of scrimmage … started at Michigan and recorded four tackles including two tackles for loss with one sack and added one forced fumble … notched two tackles for loss against Michigan State … recorded four solo tackles including career best three tackles for loss and one sack at Purdue … registered three solo tackles including one tackle for loss against Boston College … added two tackles for loss and one sack against Washington State in San Antonio … equalled career high with seven total tackles against Navy … totaled 201:33 of playing time and made 60 special-teams appearances.

2008 (FRESHMAN): Played in all 13 games for the Irish on defense and special teams and started three games (Washington, Boston College and Hawai[apos]i) … posted 24 tackles on the season, including 2.5 for a loss … also had 2.5 sacks on the year and one quarterback hurry … made his career debut in the season opener against San Diego State and notched his first tackle (solo) against the Aztecs in the victory … logged valuable minutes on both special teams and defense vs. Michigan and ended the day with four tackles (solo, three assists) against the Wolverines … continued to see considerable time in the linebacker rotation and on special teams, notching two tackles (both assists) in win vs. Purdue … saw increased action in the linebacker rotation vs. Stanford and racked up three tackles (two solo, as- sist) and also recorded his first career sack in the win against the Cardinal … registered his first career start at linebacker vs. Washington and made two solo tackles on the night … helped hold the Huskies rushing attack to just 1.1 yards per carry … started for the second time in his career vs. Boston College and recorded a tackle (solo) … helped hold the Eagles offense to under 250 yards on the night … racked up two tackles (solo; assist) vs. Navy in an increased defensive role … aided the Irish effort allowing the Mid-shipmen to their lowest rushing total on the season … tallied two tackles (both assists) vs. Syracuse … also assisted on a sack and recorded a quar- terback hurry against the Orange … started for the third time in his career in the bowl game against Hawai[apos]i and recorded three solo tackles … also notched a sack vs. the Warriors … logged 91:32 of playing time with 198 special teams appearances – the second most on team (Steve Quinn, 239).

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Chosen to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio … selected to the Scout.com All-America second team … named to the Detroit Free Press[apos] Best in the Midwest Top 20 team as the 17th-best prospect and second-best linebacker on the list behind teammate Steve Filer … placed on Chicago Tribune first-team all- state squad … rated the 34th-best player in the country by Tom Lemming and CSTV … Scout.com ranked him the 56th-best prospect in the nation … Scout.com also rated him the second-best strongside linebacker in the country and the second-best player in Illinois … considered the 89th-best player according to Rivals.com and ranks 94th on the ESPN 150 list … Rivals.com also rates him as the third-best player in Illinois and eighth-best outside linebacker in the nation … as a senior, led his high school to the Chicago Prep Bowl city championship … helped lead the Mustangs to a 6-3 regular-season record as a senior and a trip to the playoffs … named to Chicago Tribune all-state special mention team following junior season … recorded 105 tackles including 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a ju- nior … helped lead St. Rita to the Class 7A state championship in his junior season … St. Rita[apos]s original football stadium was used in the beginning of the movie ‘Rudy’ … played for coach Todd Kuska … bowls in his free time and has a high game of 279 … born July 19, 1989 … son of Larry Fleming and Leona Nelson … enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.

Fleming[apos]s Career Statistics

Tackles Fumbles
Year G-S TT UT AT TFL Scks FF FR PBU INT
2008 13-3 24 13 11 2.5-20 2.5-20 0 0-0 0 0-0
2009 11-7 30 21 9 12.0-35 3.0-19 1 0-0 0 0-0
2010 13-13 49 27 22 11.0-50 6.0-40 0 0-0 4 1-0
Total 37-23 103 61 42 25.5-105 11.5-79 1 0-0 4 0-0