Gaither still wide open

HOOVER, Ala. - Winnsboro (SC) Fairfield Central defensive back Darius Gaither has spent a good amount of time in the last few months, nursing a pulled groin muscle. After rehab and a busy summer the Palmetto State star says he is back to 100 percent.

"I feel really good now," Gaither said. "I've been working hard to get back to where I was and I am there now, I may even be better than I was before. Everything went really well with the rehab and I'm good to go."

The 6-foot-0, 195-pound Gaither runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, has a 275-pound bench press and 415-pound squat.

"There is really nothing new with recruiting," Gaither said. "Pretty much the same people are recruiting me that have been the whole time. Right now everyone is just sending mail and stuff like that since they can't call.

As a junior Gaither collected 87 tackles, 16 pass breakups and seven interceptions. He also returned four punts for touchdowns.

"I really don't have a list all right now," Gaither said. "No one is standing out, everyone is pretty much equal at this point. Right now I am just thanking God for this opportunity. I can't believe that I am getting this opportunity."

Gaither is ranked as the No. 8 player in the state of South Carolina by Rivals.com. He is also a member of Fairfield Central's 2005 state champion 4x100 relay team.

"I want to be able to interact with the coaches a lot when I visit these schools to see what they are like," Gaither said. "I want to play for a good program with players that I get along with. Distance from home is something I'm going to look at. I want to do what my grandma and my family want me to do. They don't care if I go far away from home right now, but they might change their mind."