Fleming Turns US#1 Time In 100 Meters Into A Scholarship At LSU

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Da’Marcus Fleming has made his pledge to track and field powerhouse Louisiana State University.

In the midst of a global pandemic, recruiting wasn’t as smooth as it might have been for the Miami Northwestern FL senior standout. At first, programs like Miami and Texas expressed interest, but didn’t offer him.

Then, Fleming put the running world on notice.

“I ran 10.33 in the rain at the Louie Bing Memorial Classic and my phone was ringing non-stop for about a week straight,” Fleming said.

With the tables turned and colleges clamoring for his services, Fleming had a decision to make. He considered offers from Southern Cal, Texas, LSU, Alabama, and Florida State, but in the end, it was coach Dennis Shaver and the Tigers that won him over.

“I really had to ask myself which school I thought I’d feel the most at home and would be the best to get an education at,” Fleming explained. “I felt like LSU was that place.”

Fleming arrived as a freshman at Miami Northwestern, a perennial championship program in South Florida. The Bulls had consistently won 3A state titles and placed their athletes at the most well-known universities. 

For Fleming, the early years were a time of self-reflection, maturity, and a period to grow his love for the sport.

“The coach told me you have the talent, but I play around too much and to come back when I was serious and ready to run,” Fleming said. “I came back my sophomore year and made it in the 200 meters, but was surprised that I made it because I still wasn’t taking track too serious. I was just out there running for fun.”

In 2019, as a junior, Fleming devoted time to honing his craft and becoming one of the best sprinters in the Sunshine State and nationwide. He won only one regular season race in the 200 meters and four in the 100-meter dash but competing against South Florida’s hotbed of talent and at Florida’s most challenging meets like the Bob Hayes Invitational prepared him for the ultimate prize, a state title.

After finishing fourth in the 100-meter dash at regionals and sixth in the 200 meters at that same meet, Fleming had unfinished business. He used that motivation to run 10.62 despite a bad start and a season-best of 21.01 en route to his first two individual 3A state championships.

“Man, those were some of the best moments of my life,” he explained. “I was so in shock that I won the 100 because there were some very fast guys in that race. I was the last one out of the blocks when the gun shot. When I came out I was looking at the back of everyone. I don’t know what happened, but I just hit another gear and crossed the line first.”

The 200 victory came as a timed final.

“All I can remember is my coach telling me to get off the curve and I did just what he said and had the fastest time,” he said. “Those were some good moments, but that didn’t really seem to catch any colleges' attention. To them, I probably was some kid who got lucky and won.”

Fleming’s success wasn’t just luck. One month into his final season, he owned both US#1 marks in the 100 and 200 with his time of 20.55.

How excited was he to lower those times and prove his doubters wrong? Beyond hyped. Even his principal would see him walking in the halls and shout him out as the fastest kid in America and a future Olympian.

Granted, not every sprinter got a chance to get started with spring track because in mid-March the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shut everything down.

“Every time I heard that from my friends, schoolmates and my principal it made me want to go even harder so I can show them that I can do it for them,” he noted. “I was ready to run those times for my friends and schoolmates. I was so hyped for the season and since it was the last one nobody could tell me any different.”

With the season being cut short, Fleming admits he was disappointed, even feeling like he let some folks down. 

“I really wanted to defend my title and see what competition I was going have at state,” he said. “I’m really bummed I will never get to be a high school senior again.”

Despite that, he realizes when one door closes another opens, and he has lofty goals for his time with the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La.

“I’m looking forward to becoming a great athlete, taking it season by season, and running times I‘ve never run before in my life.”