He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was named defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

Dareus attended Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he played football, basketball, and competed in track & field as a shot putter.

[5] Dareus saw playing time at nose tackle in third-down-and-long situations, replacing the pure run-stuffing Terrence Cody.

He played in 14 games and made four starts while serving as the Crimson Tide's top pass rusher and finishing seventh in the SEC in sacks.

[6] For his performance, including a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown, Dareus was named defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

[8] In early September, the NCAA suspended him for the first two games of the season in addition to requiring him to pay back the $1,787.17 received in impermissible benefits to the charity of his choice.

[10] In the week following the Crimson Tide's Capital One Bowl victory over Michigan State, Dareus declared his eligibility for the 2011 NFL draft on January 7.

[16] Dareus started all sixteen games and, despite suffering injuries to his shoulder and hand during the season, registered 5.5 sacks, the most for a Bills rookie since Aaron Schobel.

[30] On May 21, 2015, it was announced that Dareus would be suspended from the first game of the 2015 season, due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

[34] On August 16, 2016, it was reported that Dareus was facing a four-game suspension due to his second violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

[46] In 2023 Dareus appeared on the TLC network's Dr. Pimple Popper reality television program in order to have a lipoma removed from his left eyebrow area.

[48] On June 3, 2014, Dareus was arraigned in Hamburg, New York, on charges over a car accident stemming from an alleged drag race with teammate, Jerry Hughes.