Why Darius Prince Decided to Take His Talents to Corpus Christi
Image via theafl.com
The Corpus Christi Tritons enter their first season in the AF1 with a splash signing one of the best wide receivers in the arena game with Darius Prince.
On Monday, Prince had announced that he would not be returning to Albany and would be picking another team. Prince appeared on the league’s show “AF1 On One” where he told Adam Pelletier that he would be signing with the Tritons.
The biggest factor in Prince’s decision was the conversation he had with Tritons head coach Johnny Anderson and the connection he felt at the start.
“To be honest, coach JA,” Prince said. “I was talking to coach JA. From the first conversation, we hit it off. I mean the dude ran down all my accolades and achievements as if it was me.”
“I’ve talked to owners before and say, ‘you know, you’re a great player, this that and this.’ It was like he studied me and he knew everything about me. The biggest thing was that he knew because he’s played this game. He’s played arena football. He knows how crazy negotiations can be and I was open and honest with him about the Albany situation. I didn’t go too much into crazy detail about what was going on and the biggest thing was that he was like ‘Prince, take your time. I’m not here to rush you with signing. I want you. I think we can do great things here.’”
Image via X @af1football
Prince’s career began to explode in arenas when he played for the Philadelphia Soul as he won an ArenaBowl with the team as well as being named MVP of ArenaBowl 30. He caught five passes for two touchdowns in the win over the Tampa Bay Storm.
His performance with the Soul helped him land with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. He played in two preseason games where he posted 103 yards and three touchdowns before being cut.
Prince would have short stints with the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders, the Soul, and the XFL’s New York Guardians in 2019 and 2020. He played for the Albany Empire in the NAL from 2021 through 2023 where he won two league titles and was named 2021 NAL Offensive Player of the Year as well as 2022 NAL MVP. Prince played for Albany and the Orlando Predators in 2023 where he caught 28 touchdowns.
Last season, he went back to Albany to play for the Firebirds in the AFL before making the move to Corpus Christi for the AF1’s first year.
The Tritons completed their first season as franchise for the American Indoor Football league last season. They went 4-1 before losing to the Columbus Lions in the championship game.
Prince brings a level of experience and talent that the team is needed as they enter a much tougher AF1 league. The talent in the AF1 forces the Tritons to make bold moves and Prince has all the tools to be a top player in the league as he has already shown.
