COLUMBIA, Mo. - Damarea Crockett didn't find out he was starting against Florida until the offense first took the field.
Missouri running backs coach Cornell Ford pulled Crockett aside and told him he was getting his first career start last Saturday. The timing of the decision didn't leave much room for Crockett to get too nervous or anxious before he took the field.
Crockett rewarded the Tigers (2-4, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) with 145 rushing yards on 14 carries in a 40-14 loss at the hands of the 18th ranked Gators. Through six games this season, the Little Rock, Ark., native leads Missouri in rushing yards with 390. He's averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and has scored three times.
"I mean it was, you know, it was good," Crockett said of his first start. "I felt comfortable, you know, I just felt myself out there, which doesn't mean too much with the loss we took."
The start, however, is one Crockett might not have thought he would make this season. At least for the Tigers.
As a Rivals.com four-star recruit at Little Rock Christian Academy, Crockett originally committed to Boise State. When Missouri made him a late offer, he admitted he did not think he would take it.
Then he weighed all the factors of playing for Missouri.
He could be close to home. He gets to play in the SEC. As a business major he liked what the College of Business has to offer. When he took an official visit to Columbia in late January, he quickly had a change of heart.
"It was definitely my official visit, just getting here getting to see things," Crockett said. "Really see how the team was, the family-first aspect. It was just really nice, you know, it was a special place."
It was a match the Tigers could not pass up.
When Josh Heupel was hired as offensive coordinator in December, he went to work seeing if he could find any last-minute running back recruits he could add. It was watching Crockett play basketball that began to sell Heupel on him.
"He was a bigger back with great feet that had good, long distance speed," Heupel said, "and he was just so much different from some of the guys in our room. I got a chance to go watch him practice basketball, he was just extremely explosive off the floor, had great body control, his frame said he was going to get a lot bigger. He was 203, 204 pounds at the time I felt like he had the opportunity to be a 220-pound kid by the time he got to camp."
Ford admitted he was not entirely sure why Crockett did not get any other offers from SEC schools. He has seen players fly under the radar before, which is why they looked under every rock to eventually find Crockett.
"Sometimes, yeah kids like him every once in awhile that's kind of a diamond in the rough," Ford said. "And his size and his speed to be able to find him late in the recruiting game, that's a blessing for us."
Crockett did end up putting on enough muscle to reach the 220 pound mark by the time the season started. He also answered head coach Barry Odom's challenge to his players that whoever practices the best would see the field on Saturdays.
"Just preparing myself throughout the whole week," Crockett said, "Just going through practice, full speed, everything full speed, just bringing your practice to your game."
When the team released its first official depth chart Aug. 29, Crockett was listed as the third-string back behind Alex Ross and Ish Witter. Ross ended up suffering a foot injury the following week against Eastern Michigan and missed the next three games.
Crockett seized the opportunity.
Against the Eagles, Crockett had 68 yards on 12 carries. Two weeks later against Delaware State, he had 115 yards on 12 carries. Now, he is starting for the Tigers.
"His knowledge, and the way Coach Ford has coached him throughout the process on getting better each week, you can see that happen," Odom said of Crockett's development. "Also, he's understood that he's not going to run away from a lot of guys, he'll go north and south and get behind his pads and the physical skill set that he has to become the back that he is right now."
Missouri has had its share of undersized north-south runners before. Russell Hansbrough and Henry Josey could come to mind. Both might have been faster than Crockett, but neither have his size.
Crockett understands he is no longer the fastest guy on the field, and instead of trying to out-run everyone he's waiting for plays to develop. It's an attitude he said has not only made things "way easier" for him, but given him a better understanding that playing running back is as much about fundamentals as it is athletic ability.
Despite an increased workload, Crockett has yet to carry more than 14 times in a game. He said the most he has carried the ball in a game was about 51 times in high school, yet the coaches still want to limit his carries to keep him fresh for now.
Especially with how explosive he has been at times this season.
"It's been awhile since we've had a 225-pound tailback that can do the things that he does with his agility and his movement," Ford said. "But there's still a lot of great things for him to get better at."