Durham was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[1] He attended Duncanville High School in Texas where he was a standout performer in football and track.[2] He became the lead running back for the football team in 2022 and ran for 1,960 yards and 36 touchdowns, leading Duncanville to a Class 6A state championship win.[3] Durham was named the most valuable player of the state championship, running for over 100 yards and three touchdowns.[4] As a senior in 2023, he ran for 2,027 yards and 35 touchdowns.[5] A first-team MaxPrepsAll-American, he was the Class 6A leader in rushing touchdowns and was named the Dallas Morning News All-Area Offensive Player of the Year.[6] Durham led Duncanville to a second consecutive state championship win, being named the offensive MVP after running for over 200 yards and three touchdowns.[7]
In 29 total games played as a junior and senior, Durham ran for 3,987 yards and 72 touchdowns, scoring a touchdown in every one of those games.[6] He also ran for over 100 yards in each of the final 11 playoff games in his Duncanville career, which included seven games of over 200 yards.[6] In addition to being a top football player, Durham also excelled in track and field, winning a state championship on the 4×200 relay team as a junior and then being part of the national record-setting 4×200 relay team as a senior alongside fellow top recruit Dakorien Moore.[3][8] Ranked a four-star prospect and the number eight running back nationally, he committed to play college football for the LSU Tigers.[9]
College career
In his second collegiate game, Durham ran for 98 yards and scored two touchdowns on 11 rushes against South Carolina.[10] He was named the 247Sports True Freshman of the Week for his performance.[11] Two weeks later, against South Alabama, he ran for 128 yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown.[12]