Darden was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended Oliver Wendell Holmes High School.
[1] Darden was a member of the Texas Tech Red Raiders for five seasons, redshirting as a true freshman.
As a senior, he recorded 32 tackles with four passes broken up and two interceptions and was named second team 1997 All-Big 12 Conference.
He spent his rookie season on injured reserve and was cut at the end of training camp in 1999.
[6] Darden was waived during the 2001 offseason and claimed by the Green Bay Packers, who cut him during training camp.