Darian Durant Darian Bernard Durant ( born August 19 , 1982 in Florence , South Carolina ) is a professional Canadian football quarterback who plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) . He played college football at the University of North Carolina . After his college career , he held school records for completion percentage , touchdowns , passing yards , total offense and completions . Durant was signed as a free agent by the Roughriders in 2006 , and became the club ' s full - time starting quarterback in 2009 . He was named a CFL West Division All - Star in 2009 . His brother Justin plays in the National Football League as a linebacker . Early life . Durant was born on August 19 , 1982 , in Florence , South Carolina to Betty and Israel Durant . He has three brothers and a sister . His younger brother , Justin , plays for the NFL ' s Detroit Lions , and his older brother , Keyshawn , was a quarterback at South Carolina State . Amateur football . High school . Durant attended high school at Wilson High School in Florence , South Carolina . During his senior year of high school , he led the team to South Carolina ' s 4 - A state semi - finals . Durant set a school record with 2 , 446 passing yards and tied his own record with 25 touchdown passes , which was set during his sophomore season . He was named a Super Prep All - America , Honorable Mention All - America by " USA Today " and Prep Star All - Region selection . He also played in the South Carolina All - Star game , where he completed 9 of his 11 passing attempts for 215 yards . College . Durant signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of North Carolina in 2000 . In 2001 , during his first NCAA season , Durant established school freshman records with 17 touchdown passes , 142 completions , 1843 passing yards and 1971 yards of total offense . His freshman records for passing yards and completions were broken in 2007 by T . J . Yates . During his freshman season , Durant was named Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) Rookie of the Week five times . He finished second overall in ACC Rookie of the Year voting to Florida State quarterback Chris Rix . As a freshman , Durant split time with Ronald Curry , helping the team to a victory in the Chick - fil - A Peach Bowl . He was awarded the Jeffrey Cowell Memorial Award as the team ' s top freshman . After his college career , Durant was one of the most accomplished athletes in the school ' s history . He held 51 offensive records at the school . During his sophomore season , Durant set the school ' s single game record for passing yards with 417 during a victory against Arizona State . In his junior year , he set single season records with 389 passing attempts , 234 completions and 2 , 551 passing yards . Durant had set UNC records with 1 , 159 passing attempts , 701 completions , 68 passing touchdowns , 8 , 755 passing yards and 9 , 630 yards of total offense . While playing football at the University of North Carolina , Durant completed a degree in African American studies . Professional football . Baltimore Ravens . Durant was undrafted in the 2005 National Football League ( NFL ) Draft , but signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens and attended their training camp . Durant was briefly on the team ' s practice roster , but was cut during the 2005 season because of concerns about his size . Saskatchewan Roughriders . Durant was placed on the Ottawa Renegades negotiation list in 2003 , by future Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Eric Tillman . After the Renegades folded , his rights were obtained by the Hamilton Tiger - Cats and later dealt to the Roughriders in a trade that included Corey Holmes . Durant signed with the team on May 11 , 2006 . During the 2006 season , he served as the team ' s backup quarterback for eight games , completing a single pass for 14 yards and recording a single rushing attempt for 20 yards in a game against Hamilton . Durant was on the team ' s practice roster for the remaining ten games . During the 2007 season , Durant spent the entire season on the active roster , and was available for all of the Roughrider regular season and playoff games , but did not see any game action while serving as the team ' s third string quarterback . Durant was on the sidelines as starting quarterback Kerry Joseph led Roughriders to a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup . Joseph was traded to the Toronto Argonauts prior to the 2008 season , leaving the club without an incumbent quarterback . During the season , the Roughriders tried four different starting quarterbacks including Durant , Steven Jyles , Michael Bishop and Marcus Crandell . Durant started four games for the Riders during the season , and played in four others . He had seven passing touchdowns , and one rushing touchdown during the season . Crandell was released during the season and Bishop was also released shortly after the Roughriders season was finished . In January 2009 , Durant signed a new contract with the Roughriders rather than becoming a free agent . Durant entered the 2009 season as the club ' s starting quarterback , but head coach Ken Miller gave backup Jyles significant playing time as well . Durant made the most of his opportunity , becoming the first Roughrider quarterback to start all 18 games since Kent Austin , who last played for the club in 1993 . Durant was named the Roughriders nominee for CFL Most Outstanding Player , and was selected a West Division All - Star at quarterback . He was also named the Roughriders ' Wireless Age Most Popular Player . Durant led the Roughriders to the Grey Cup , where they were defeated by the Montreal Alouettes on a last second field goal . He finished the 2009 season with 4 , 348 passing yards and 501 rushing yards . Durant threw 24 touchdown passes during the season and also had 21 interceptions , leading the CFL . Heading into the 2010 season , Durant wanted to cut down on his interceptions , although he tried to be optimistic , " I throw 21 picks last year and I guarantee every guy with better stats than me wishes they were in the Grey Cup . " In a Grey Cup rematch to kick off the 2010 CFL season , Durant and the Roughriders staged a second half comeback to defeat the Alouettes in overtime . Durant threw five touchdown passes and picked up 478 passing yards during the game . For his efforts , he was named the CFL ' s Offensive Player of the Week . At the halfway point of the season , Durant had thrown 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions , while rushing for another five touchdowns . The CFL named Durant Offensive Player of the Month for September after a month where he passed for 1387 yards and five touchdowns . After Game 17 versus the BC Lions , Durant became only the second Roughrider quarterback to throw for over 5000 yards in a season , with the first being former head coach Kent Austin . Durant was selected as the Roughriders ' nominee for the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award . The 2011 campaign was a let down year not only for Durant but also for the Roughriders as a whole . The Riders stumbled out of the gate losing seven of their first eight games . Durant ' s production fell significantly through the course of the season . Near the end of the season Durant was playing with a broken bone in his foot , which ultimately lead to him missing the last two games of the regular season . The Riders would finish the year with only 5 wins and 13 loses , placing them in last place in the league . Despite the reduced production in 2011 on April 27 , 2012 the Riders extended his contract through the 2014 CFL season . Durant ' s teammates and coaches describe him as a fierce competitor , who battles through injuries and illnesses . Durant ' s consistency on the field was one of the reasons he earned the Roughriders ' starting quarterback position , along with his ability to run for yards when his pass protection breaks down . Personal life . Durant has a tattoo on his left biceps reading " Against all odds – I ' m gonna shine " , which Durant believes explains his life . In conjunction with a local Ford dealer , and to commemorate the Roughriders ' 100th anniversary , Durant lent his name to a limited edition Ford F - 150 truck that was sold in Regina . The Durant limited edition featured a Durant license plate , his DD4 logo , Roughriders mud flaps and embossed head rests . There are only four of the trucks available , and $ 500 from the sale of each truck goes to support Durant ' s charity of choice , KidSport .