Courtesy of North Carolina Central Athletic Communications


DURHAM, N.C. – Former North Carolina Central defensive end Darius Royster has signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
 
A native of Chesapeake, Va., Royster was voted as the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Defensive Player of the Year, named the BOXTOROW Defensive Player of the Year as the top HBCU defender, and he was selected to the STATS FCS All-America Team as a member of the third team.
 
During his senior campaign, Roster topped the MEAC with 16.0 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks and three forced fumbles, and ranked ninth in the league with 75 tackles as the only defensive lineman positioned in the top-20.
 
Royster's 9.0 sacks (7 solo/4 assisted) were more than any other Eagle in the past 35 years, and his 75 tackles were the most among NCCU defensive linemen in 25 years.
 
In his first game of the 2018 season, Royster broke the school record for most tackles for loss in a game with 6.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage versus Prairie View A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
 
Royster graduated from NCCU in May 2019 with bachelor's degree in psychology.