Brighton's Isaac Darkangelo looking to prove himself again with Detroit Lions
Isaac Darkangelo of Brighton has had to prove he belongs throughout every step of his football journey.
When he didn’t receive a Division I college offer, he wound up at Northern Michigan and became a standout linebacker at the Division II level.
With the dream of one day playing in the National Football League, Darkangelo bet on himself. He left a guaranteed scholarship at Northern Michigan three years ago and transferred to University of Illinois as a preferred walk-on.
After a redshirt season in 2020 and playing primarily on special teams in 2021, Darkangelo was the leading tackler for an Illini team last fall that was one of the pleasant surprises in the Big Ten Conference.
He didn’t receive an invitation to the NFL Draft combine, but was impressive enough at Illinois’ pro day to become a legitimate draft prospect.
But as the NFL Draft was beginning to wind down last weekend, Darkangelo’s name had yet to be called.
And that’s when he got the call, not that he was about to be selected, but that the Detroit Lions were interested in signing him if he went undrafted.
After a nerve-racking weekend of following the draft, Darkangelo could finally exhale. All he wanted was an opportunity, one which his home-state Lions will provide.
“I was anxious, just waiting,” he said. “You sit around and you’re just watching every pick go before you and hoping you get some kind of call.
“The first day I spent with two teammates, Chase and Sydney Brown, who got drafted. I watched the first round with them in Canada. It was nice to watch with them, then come home for the second and third day.”
When Darkangelo transferred to Illinois, he hoped that proving himself against tougher competition would boost his NFL stock. He paid his tuition his first year in Champaign before receiving a scholarship his second year. In his final college season, he led Illinois with 71 tackles in 13 games. He had 7.5 tackles for losses, a sack and one fumble recovery.
“I definitely grew a lot, especially having coach (Andy) Buh, my linebackers coach, learning from him, being able to learn about football,” Darkangelo said. “Coach (Bret) Bielema always had meetings on Football 101. Being able to grow my football knowledge and being able to understand the game more as a whole has been tremendous.
“I definitely don’t regret anything I did, that’s for sure. It definitely was a journey. I definitely enjoyed it. Obviously, it’s still being written. I’m excited about what’s ahead of me, for sure.”
At Northern Michigan, Darkangelo was selected the school's Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 after ranking second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 105 tackles in 10 games.
Darkangelo would have been thrilled to sign with any NFL team that gave him a chance, but it’s extra special going to the team he rooted for growing up.
“It’s home,” said Darkangelo, who played high school ball for Detroit Catholic Central after attending Brighton schools through eighth grade. “It’s kind of full circle. The things coach Dan Campbell is developing there are absolutely huge. I’m ready to do whatever the team needs and hopefully I can add to that organization.”
There is no guarantee Darkangelo will make the roster, but he’s had to buck the odds throughout his career.
“I’m putting my head down and will do whatever they ask me to do,” he said.
The only Livingston County player in the NFL last season was Pinckney's Zach Sieler, a defensive lineman with the Miami Dolphins.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton's Isaac Darkangelo looks to prove himself with Detroit Lions
