They couldn’t help but stop and stare.

During a workout in the summer of 2017, Darnell Washington, then a rising sophomore at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, walked into the Desert Pines weight room. His size and stature caused everyone in the room to turn and look at who just might be joining the roster.

As the head coach of the Desert Pines football program, Tico Rodriguez’s jaw practically dropped. It’s not often someone with that kind of build appears before him, ready to join his football team.

“He’s like, ‘Coach, my parents are moving into this area. I just want to know when we start workouts,’” Rodriguez said. “When you see a 6-6, 220-pound kid walk into the weight room, everybody is just staring.”