The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE top program — alongside Washing- ton, his high school quarterback who will play in the defensive backfield in Ann Arbor — was too much to pass up. "They want me to get up there, and they want me to play right away," Davis said. "That was a big part of it for me. I'll fit right into their system, and Coach Wheatley really wants me up there. "He said that I reminded me of himself, of Tyrone Wheatley. He was a big back, but fast and quick. I can run people over, and he said he really needs one of those guys up there." Davis was the first running back to commit to Michigan's 2016 class, but was joined just days later by lo- cal product Matt Falcon of Southfield (Mich.) High. Both are big, powerful backs with speed. Davis has run an 11.44-second 100-meter dash already this spring, and claims a personal best of 10.8 seconds. Thanks to Davis' size — as just a high school junior — he has the abil- ity to contribute to the team in mul- tiple ways. If he doesn't see a path to playing time at tailback, he can bulk up and play fullback, and he even has the frame to end up as an outside linebacker at Michigan if the offensive backfield doesn't work out. For now, the Wolverines will be thrilled just to have him in the fold, and will give him his first shot at car- rying the ball in the pro-style offense. — Tim Sullivan FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Davis' 6-1, 225-pound frame makes him an imposing figure for op- ponents to tackle. He is willing and able to run over defenders, but has a good feel for running the ball between the tackles to only take glancing blows and bounce off defenders. He also has good speed for his size, and while he won't be running past defen- sive backs at the next level, he can make the most out of each run. Areas Of Improvement: He has solid foot quickness, but Davis isn't going to call to mind Mike Hart by dancing in the hole and making players miss. He is more of a one-cut runner who bounces off tacklers and runs into the second- ary. With his size as a high school junior, a move to fullback is also a possibility. He will have to continue adding size and develop a solid knowledge of blocking concepts if that move comes to fruition. Michigan Player Comparison — Brandon Minor (2005-08): Like Minor, Davis is something of a tweener between a smaller fullback (Minor was ranked No. 1 nationally at the position in the 2005 class) and a big tailback. If he is able to keep his weight under control, he has the potential to be a feature back like Minor was. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com