Interview: Merced California JUCO 4-Star CB Devron Davis Talks Football and 30-Plus Offers

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

In every sport coaches are always looking for that rare athlete that can change the fortunes of a given game on talent and athleticism alone. College coaches have identified a rare talent at Merced College, cornerback Devron Davis.

Davis is a true freshman working his way through a standout junior college season after lighting it up during his senior season for Franklin High School. The Stockton area recruit dazzled in all three phases of the game catching eight passes for over 300 yards with four touchdowns, carried the rock 10 times for over 300 yards with four touchdowns and racked up over 500 kick return yards. On defense, Davis had 33 tackles, a forced fumble, and two picks to complete his high school career. There has been no drop off in production at the junior college level seeing Davis compile 29 tackles, five pass breakups, a forced fumble, and one interception in just six games played.

College recruiters have flocked to California in hopes of pulling the 6’0”, 210 pound, star to their campus knowing they will have him for four years to play three. Some of the 30-plus colleges to offer Davis includes Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon, Nebraska, Illinois, Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas State, Utah, Washington, Ohio State, and Ole Miss.

In an exclusive Recruiting News Guru interview, I caught up with Davis getting an overview of his senior year and how he has transitioned his abilities to the JUCO level and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Devron, college recruiters are blowing up your Twitter in-box this year but before you started tearing it up for Merced, how did your senior year go for you?

“I feel like it was one of my best years in football. My senior year was really good. I got out early and remained dynamic on offense. On defense, I played safety and was set on cleaning up anything that got to my level. It was a great year all the way around.”

How many offers did you have as part of the 2015 recruiting class?

“I had three offers; Arizona, Cal, and Washington State.”

Did you have any individual honors at the end of your senior season?

“I was first-team All-League.”

What did you work on in the offseason to prepare for your freshman season at the collegiate level?

“The biggest thing in the transition was just the mental part and getting physically ready. I worked on getting stronger and faster and keeping up with the pace I had set for myself. Physically I did not have to work on too much. Really it was just the mental part of football, and you can always get better at that.”

How has the transition been for you from the high school level to the junior college level?

“The transition was not a big transition. The speed of the game still feels like high school to me.”

What goals did you set for yourself entering the season?

“Just to come in and work hard.”

In your opinion, do you think you are playing well?

“I think I’m playing really well. I always want to play better because you can always get better.”

What are your strengths on the field as a cornerback?

“I feel like what makes me a good corner is my speed and my physicality. I know it going to get harder but I like going hard against the receivers I’m covering. I like to take the air out of my opponent early when they come to my side of the field.”

Because of your size, speed, and skill set you could easily play cornerback or safety at the next level. What position are most of the colleges recruiting you to play?

“Mostly corner. The Pac-12 schools, like Oregon, like me at corner. They know I can be a physical corner in their conference. I think some schools might move me around to safety or a little in nickel but primarily everyone is recruiting me to play corner.”

Have you gone on any visits this year?

“I went to Colorado State over the summer. I have a couple of visits coming up and I’m undecided on another.”

You have over 30 offers right?

“Yes.”

Have you released your top schools yet?

“Yes. My top schools are Oregon, Arizona State, UCLA, Missouri, Texas Tech, and Cal.”

Have you set a time-frame for when you would like to have a decision made about where you will play your college ball next season?

“Not exactly. I’m going to wait until after all of my visits. I want to get a feel for the environments of the different schools. I want to feel at home. When I get that feeling, then I will make my decision. I don’t want to make a decision just to make a decision.”

Are you able to enroll at a program after the new year break?

“Yes, I’ll be able to transfer to a four-year in December.”

What are some of the other factors that will influence that decision beyond feeling at home?

“The coaching staff, the environment, and the DB (defensive back) coach. How I feel about those three things and how far away from home.”

Is there a player be-it on the college level or the NFL ranks that you like to watch to learn more about the game?

“On the NFL level I like watching Richard Sherman (Seattle Seahawks). I watch him a lot. I watch a lot of film on him and see how he plays different receivers and how offenses play against him.”

Do you know what you want to major in when you enroll at a four-year program?

“No sir. I’m undecided, but that’s very important to me. Whatever carries the major that I decide that I want to pursue will play a big factor in where I commit.”

What is your favorite part about the game of football?

“I like the physical part of the game. I like the adrenaline, the highs and the lows, I think it’s all beautiful. All the different parts compliment the game.”

Devron, thanks for your time today. Good luck with the rest of your season.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: twitter.com; Devron Davis at Colorado State with cornerbacks coach Terry Fair.

Photo credit: twitter.com; Devron Davis.