Since Dan Mullen took the reins at Florida, recruiting has been on a general upward trajectory. With this uptick in player caliber, some of Jim McElwain’s recruits are now filling depth positions after younger guys recruited by Mullen (or transferred in) have passed them by.
Despite the fact that Mullen signed two highly-rated safeties in his first recruiting class – Trey Dean and Amari Burney – neither player has gotten reps at the position. That doesn’t mean they haven’t played valuable minutes, as Dean is currently listed as starting STAR, while Burney sees time at backup STAR and backup linebacker.
The other two safeties from that class – Randy Russell and John Huggins – haven’t contributed either. Russell was ruled out of playing college football due to a heart condition that went undetected before arriving in Gainesville, and Huggins was dismissed from the program after a string of negative allegations against him.
The staff failed to sign a safety in 2019.
Without any Mullen-recruited safeties actively playing the position, the four-man safety group is made up of senior Jeawon Taylor and juniors Donovan Stiner, Brad Stewart and Shawn Davis. Taylor and Stiner were the ones who got the most playing time in 2018.
But in 2019, Taylor – who put together a 64-tackle performance in 2018 – has spent a large chunk of time practicing in a non-contact jersey since the end of last season and has only seen limited action so far. Stewart was a trendy pick to be a breakout player in 2019, but a two-game suspension to start the season has the junior playing catch-up. Stiner held onto the starting role, but has struggled this season and has shown some physical limitations.
Pancaking Nick Fitzgerald to beat Mississippi State and sealing the LSU game with a pick-six off Joe Burrow, while exciting, seem to have been more flashes of success at the position rather than a representation of how the unit will play consistently.
Enter Shawn Davis.
The junior saw action in nine games last season, where he managed 22 tackles and five pass breakups. Davis, a former three-star recruit out of Miami, looked well on his way to being another McElwain recruit with his eligibility – and time to make an impact under Mullen – quickly running out. Instead, a little confidence and a lot of luck has led to the junior being a can’t-miss Gator through four games.
Davis’ junior year has actually been fresh soil for firsts in his career.
Against Miami, Davis registered his career-first quarterback hurry. A pair of interceptions against Kentucky were Davis’ first two collegiate INTs. He would have picked up a third against the Wildcats had Kaiir Elam (arguably Florida’s most proven true freshman along with Khris Bogle) not stepped in front of Davis to get it himself.
In short, Davis is making the most of his minutes by racking up big-time plays.
When looking at his season-high six tackles against FCS University of Tennessee at Martin, it is easy to write off the competence of the opponent. After all, more than ten true freshmen also got their feet wet against UT Martin and the Gators still shut the Skyhawks out. But when looking at Davis’ entire performance against Kentucky, it makes you wonder where the staff has been hiding him.
Davis, like most defensive players from Miami, is a hard tackler. He runs right for whomever he’s covering with the ferocity of a bull running at a red flag. Luckily, he does so without picking up too many yellow flags. Davis’ only penalty to date was an unsportsmanlike conduct charge after his second interception against the Wildcats.
At just 5-11, he’s not the tallest DB around, and he’s the shortest of UF’s safeties. What he is, though, is relentless. Davis is often used out in the field instead of in the boundary. While sticking near the opposing receiver instead of playing the space around him might not always be a fool-proof method, it also might not be a stretch to say he does this because he’s not worried about the guy around him – He’s worried about the ball.
Sure, he can push a guy back behind the first-down marker, and sure he can use all 185-pounds of himself to shove the guy to the ground in the process. But what he’s craving is not a three-and-out. Shawn Davis wants all the balls to be Gator balls. Don’t take it from me; Take it from his own teammates. Kyle Trask told the media he asked Davis to get him the ball back against Kentucky so Florida could complete its 19-point comeback in Lexington.
Something straight from Davis’ mouth is that his newly restored confidence is translating to the field. He told media his coaches and teammates saw things in him that he didn’t necessarily see in himself. It’s not hard to blame him. One of the strongest spring and summer sessions on the team translated to a couple reps here and there. Coaches would tell media Davis earned playing time, but a small mistake during a game would get him sent back to the bench.
After a strong performance through four games, it’s going to be hard to send Davis to the sidelines. He’s proven himself an essential piece of the safety rotation while simultaneously laying low and being in the right place at the right time.
By doing this, Davis embodies the Gator Standard Florida fans hear about all the time.
Earning your spot is on its way to being being phased out in college football. If players don’t see the field, they enter the transfer portal. Davis found himself as a player and is maximizing his production to ensure he makes plays for the Florida Gators.