BIOGRAPHY
Darnell Henry Savage Jr. was born on July 30, 1997 in Seaford, Delaware. He is a safety in the NFL.
Darnell Savage Jr. played offense and defense, earning Delaware All-State honors at Caravel High School. He helped lead Caravel to the 2013 state championship. Savage posted 1,298 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He also added 54 tackles. Savage was a consensus three-star recruit and was rated the second-best player in Delaware by Rivals. He was an Honor Roll Student and member of the Headmaster’s List.
Savage played college football at the University of Maryland. He appeared in the final 10 games his sophomore year, making his first career start in the season finale against Rutgers. He finished the season with 12 tackles (11 solo). He posted two tackles at #10 Iowa, had one tackle against Wisconsin and Michigan State, totaled three tackles against Indiana and had a career-high five tackles at Rutgers.
Savage appeared in 12 games (all starts) at safety his sophomore year. He ranked third on the team with 59 tackles. Savage also posted 3.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and an interception. He posted his first career interception vs. Boston College. He had six tackles and a career-high two PBUs vs. Rutgers and posted career-high 11 tackles at #19 Nebraska.
As a junior, Savage started all 12 games at safety, totaling 59 tackles. He led the team with eight pass breakups and tied for the lead with three interceptions.
Savage was named Second Team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He started all 12 games at safety. Savage was ranked second in the Big Ten, trailing only teammate Tre Watson and 13th in the country with four interceptions. He was fourth on the team with 52 tackles (38) solo and second on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. Savage had a monster game against Temple, notching a pick-6 and 2.0 TFL totaling 15 yards.
Savage was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. On May 2, 2019, Savage signed a 4-year deal worth $12.5 million.
The Packers picked up the fifth-year option on Savage's contract on April 29, 2022. On January 1, 2023, during a Week 17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Savage intercepted a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins and returned it 75 yards for his first NFL touchdown.