USC tailback Darius Paulk carrying on family tradition

South Carolina running back Darius Paulk shares a family name with two brothers, who are both former Division I college football players. This season, he hopes to make a bigger name for himself.

The Paulk brothers grew up in Columbia and all played football at Richland Northeast High. Rodney “Busta” Paulk, the oldest brother, played at USC from 2006 to 2011. Leonard “Scooter” Paulk, the second-oldest, played at East Carolina from 2008 to 2012. Darius, known as “Bear,” is the youngest and preparing to play his last season at USC this fall.

Darius Paulk’s journey to USC wasn’t a straight path. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound back didn’t expect to play college football when he was growing up.

“When we first came in, we just played sports just to play sports,” Paulk said. “After seeing my older brother play (at USC) and even my other brother play at East Carolina, I always wanted to play for a Division I program, especially here since it’s almost 25 minutes away.”

Paulk started his college career at North Greenville University in Tigerville, where he was offered a scholarship in 2012. In his first two seasons with the Crusaders, he rushed for 868 total yards in 18 games. In 2014, he joined the Gamecocks squad as a walk-on and earned a scholarship by the start of the 2015 season.

While Paulk is proud of how far he’s come as a football player, he knows he can do more.

“I think I’ve made a name for myself and especially since it’s my last year, I feel like I can make even more of a name for myself,” Paulk said. “I see myself in more of a promising role here with that team and I really believe that.”

Paulk played in all 12 games last season with a majority of his time spent helping on special teams. He’s credited with five tackles and rushed twice for three yards at Georgia. He also was recognized with the Everyday Hustle award for the USC offense last spring.

Knowing what’s at stake this season, he hustled during his workouts this summer, too. Not only did he come in for extra weight lifting and practice drills, but he’s also been applying his coaches’ corrections, including being more “in tune” during workouts.

While most running backs would want a senior season measured by carries and receptions, Paulk isn’t solely focused on his individual statistics or accomplishments. He’s focused on the greater good of the team and just hopes to make his home city proud.

“If that means special teams, blocking, whatever it is, my main focus is to help the team win. I’m just trying to make this last year a blast.”