Darling began his college career at
Washington State. He averaged 1.7 points in 25 games played as a freshman. Darling suffered a season-ending injury two games into his sophomore season and used a medical redshirt. After the end of the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal. Darling transferred to
Idaho State. He was named the
Big Sky Player of the Year in his first season with the Bengals. On March 22, 2026, Darling hit a game-winning layup at the buzzer to send
St. John's to the Sweet Sixteen of the
2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He missed a shot against
Duke, ending his season. Darling averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game as a junior. ==Personal life==