Undersized but athletic, this Miami DE commit is finishing strong before he enrolls early
Thomas Davis tends to just laugh whenever someone talks to him about his size.
At 6-1 and 235 pounds, Davis knows he’s not exactly what college football coaches picture when they’re dreaming up their ideal edge rusher. It’s probably the difference between the 15 scholarship offers he currently possesses, and the 20 or 30 he might have if he was a few inches taller.
He makes up for that with what he does on the field and in combine-like situations. Davis said he has been clocked as fast as 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and it has helped him become one of the most productive defensive players in Georgia, no matter where he’s playing.
“I feel like my quickness and my ability to move fast,” Davis said Tuesday, “I know that I’m going to be much faster than an offensive lineman.”
Now in the final days of his recruitment, Davis is set to sign a national letter of intent with the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday and early enroll at Miami next month. First, he has a state-championship chase to finish with Lowndes in Valdosta, Georgia, after his Vikings came up short in the title game last year.
He’s now classified as a middle linebacker in the 247Sports.com composite rankings after he shifted from the edge to the inside at the start of the year, upon request from Lowndes coach Jamey DuBose. While he was needed there early in the season, Davis is now back playing the edge for the Vikings’ playoff run because of how disruptive he can be at his old position.
In Lowndes’ 21-13 win against Kennessaw’s North Cobb on Friday, Davis led the Vikings with 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack, mostly playing defensive end.
This season, the senior has 45 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss and three sacks in nine games, after he had 16 1/2 tackles for loss and 11 1/2 sacks in 14 games last year.
Most of the Hurricanes’ conversations with Davis center around him playing defensive end full-time once he gets to Coral Gables.
“All their D-linemen are really explosive off the line,” Davis said. “I know I’m really explosive off the line. I know that fits me perfect. I was just watching the other day they were playing Duke. They had plenty of sacks, so I know I can have a huge impact.”
Davis, however, is open to anything once he gets to Miami. He has talked with coaches about potentially playing the Hurricanes’ “viper” role — a hybrid linebacker-defensive end position, which would let him play some as a stand-up pass rusher and drop into coverage — and he feels his move to linebacker his year serves him well.
There have not been discussions, Davis said, about moving him to middle linebacker at Miami, even though the Hurricanes have a recent history of successfully moving defensive ends to linebacker, most notably with Sam Brooks Jr.
“If they do put me at inside,” Davis said, “I’ll like it.”
The competition at end figures to be the most pressing. Star defensive linemen Quincy Roche and Jaelan Phillips could both opt to enter the 2021 NFL Draft, which would leave Miami searching to replace both its starting defensive ends. There’s young talent on the current roster ready to step up, but there would be an open competition for playing time once spring practices begin.
Said Davis: “That’s already the plan.”
