Jeremy Darvin keeps his tenacity close to home.

The redshirt senior defensive tackle is all about the team, but he is also familiar with the surrounding area of Bowling Green. Hailing from Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee, Darvin played his prep ball just under 70 miles from WKU's campus.

The class of 2016 prospect was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals, 43rd at his position in the nation and 18th overall in the Volunteer state. His senior season he was named Tennessee Division II All-State, and first-team All-Midstate.

The stout defensive lineman had an impressive high school junior season as well racking up 42 tackles, eight for loss, and two sacks.

Darvin committed to WKU on September 30th, 2015 after also receiving offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Louisville, and C-USA rival Marshall.

After redshirting his freshman season on The Hill, Darvin bounced back in a big way his redshirt freshman season. He appeared in the final eight games of the 2017 season and had a career-day in the Hilltoppers' postseason contest, The Cure Bowl, where he picked up seven tackles and one-and-a half for loss.

2018 saw similar progression from the 6-foot-1 305-pound defender as he totaled 10 tackles and over two sacks starting in two games and playing in all 12 that season.

Last season is when Darvin really came into his own for WKU. After suffering an injury on October 12th versus Army, he ultimately would appear in 10 games all season, starting in six of them and totaling 22 tackles, four for loss and over two sacks, his best season in Bowling Green, earning him a 2019 C-USA honorable mention.

"Coach (Kenny) Martin always stresses being physical inside," Darvin said. "That's just the life you're in, a lot of double teams, not a lot of space, so inside you just have to be physical."

Darvin's physicality is something that has kept him a consistent plug in the middle of the Hilltopper defense for the last three seasons. Going into this season he highlighted some of the things he and his teammates were improving on.

"We've been working our mechanics...and just being strong getting knocked back...the trenches life is just being physical," Darvin said.

What's most admirable about Darvin is that in every press conference he always keeps the theme of the team first and what not only he, but as a whole the team can accomplish.

"We got a lot of guys here that love football and can play football really well too," Darvin said. "Having guys out there flying around and actually communicating, being able to communicate and play it makes it easier on the coaches."

Other than showing great praise for his teammates and coaches, Darvin has been able to take leadership along with his 24 other senior teammates in such trying times like this adversity-filled season.

"We have a lot of older guys out there so...it was tough for the younger guys picking stuff up (because of COVID-19) and trying to get in the thick of the playbook," Darvin said. "It helps the whole team because not only do they get to learn the plays but we also get a refresher for ourselves."

This season the Hilltoppers have got off to a slow start at 1-3 on the season, but Darvin was able to play near his hometown in WKU's "100 Miles of Hate" rivalry game on October 3rd versus Middle Tennesse State.

"It was great being back home, but honestly it was just great to get our first win of the season...a lot of focus on bringing energy and working as a team and being unselfish," Darvin said.

Although the veteran has not had a huge impact on the year with just three tackles and a half-sack on the season, he knows what lies ahead and that the Hilltoppers must continue to fight as C-USA play continues.

"It's not going to get easier going into conference play," Darvin said. "Every team is going to be fighting."