2021 Lowndes (GA) Thomas Davis gave his commitment to the Miami Hurricanes yesterday afternoon.
The 6-1 235 pounder is currently a consensus 3-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Davis is the #868 player nationally, #50 WDE in the country, and the #76 player in the Peach State. His commitment moves UM’s 2021 class to #10 in the class ranking on 247Sports and #8 on Rivals.
Recruiting Story
Davis went completely unnoticed at the D-I level with no offers until his junior tape started circulating at the beginning of 2020. By April, he still had a relatively low profile, and decided to commit to his only Power 5 offer at the time, Mississippi State. Soon after, Davis begun to get more P5 attention, earning bids from FSU, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana in addition to a Miami offer in mid-May. To explore all his new options, Davis went ahead and decommitted from the Bulldogs in June, and from then on, the Canes were considered the favorite. Originally wanting to commit on his birthday (Aug. 24th), he instead moved up his timeline and announced for Miami yesterday. He ultimately picked UM over others in his top 3 including FSU and South Carolina.
The Player
Because of his intense quickness off the edge combined with his relative lack of height, Davis is an easy comparison to former Michigan DE and 2020 NFL second round pick Josh Uche. Profiles as a pass rushing and 3rd down specialist on film, showing an incredible first step to beat offensive linemen before they can even get out of their stance. Fierce rusher that seems to be giving maximum effort at all times. Exploits weaknesses in the line to shoot gaps and make easy stops in the backfield. Plays with good pad level to dip under opponent’s blocks and explode upfield. Showcases a variety of spin and swim moves in his ****nal. Technically advanced at this stage when it comes to his handwork and understanding of using his leverage/low center of gravity. Not just a pure agility guy, though; demonstrates he can convert his speed into power at times to push upfield and move bodies out of his way. Impressive athleticism displayed in his ability to play tight end and shows breakaway speed from DB’s.
Shows he can contain the edge in the run game at times, but would like to see more of that on film. Can get washed out of the play if he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and needs more functional playing strength. Will have to continue to improve his run stopping ability in holding up at the point of attack to have a chance at being a 3-down player at the next level. Short and stubby frame combined with a lack of length could become an issue for him against ACC-level OL that have even average reach.
As a junior in 2019, Davis was named Region 1-7A Defensive Player of the Year after posting a line of 47 tackles, 16.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, and 1 FR, plus a TD catch on offense. Also a star in track, both in sprinting and the shot put. Has clocked a 4.7 40-yard dash in the past at the Rivals Atlanta Camp in March 2019.
The Class
Davis’ commitment brings the total class numbers to 21 and he is the second DE in the 2021 class, joining Columbus (FL) 4-star Jabari Ishmael. The Canes have recruited like they were looking for two players at DE the entire cycle, so things seem to be pretty much locked up at this spot, although Miami could keep in touch with a few prospects to keep some options on the board just in case things change with the numbers situation. UM has kept in touch with jumbo ends in Boone (FL) 4-star Shambre Jackson and Gadsden County (FL) 3-star Darrell Jackson (a Tennessee commit) at various points throughout the quarantine; both offer positional versatility in that they could potentially grow into defensive tackles, but the pair appear to be on the outside looking in to this class assuming nothing else changes.
The Team
Miami will lose Quincy Roche to graduation at the position following 2020, and Gregory Rousseau will certainly consider leaving early for the NFL if he continues his assault on ACC quarterbacks. Even if Rousseau does jump early, the Canes have recruited very strongly at DE in recent years and have really been stacking some serious talent, with guys like Jaelan Phillips, Jahfari Harvey, and Chantz Williams waiting in the wings to potentially become the next great UM pass rusher.
With Miami’s depth at DE, Davis won’t be needed right away as a freshman, although he is already close to being physically ready for the college level and could potentially carve out a 3rd down-type role by the end of his first season UM. There’s going to be a ton of competition at this spot for reps going forward, so Davis is going to have to continue to excel in other areas of the game to make up for his height/length restrictions and see major playing time at UM. He has a good shot to do just that and at the very least develop into a rotational contributor over the next 4 seasons.
The 6-1 235 pounder is currently a consensus 3-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Davis is the #868 player nationally, #50 WDE in the country, and the #76 player in the Peach State. His commitment moves UM’s 2021 class to #10 in the class ranking on 247Sports and #8 on Rivals.
Recruiting Story
Davis went completely unnoticed at the D-I level with no offers until his junior tape started circulating at the beginning of 2020. By April, he still had a relatively low profile, and decided to commit to his only Power 5 offer at the time, Mississippi State. Soon after, Davis begun to get more P5 attention, earning bids from FSU, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana in addition to a Miami offer in mid-May. To explore all his new options, Davis went ahead and decommitted from the Bulldogs in June, and from then on, the Canes were considered the favorite. Originally wanting to commit on his birthday (Aug. 24th), he instead moved up his timeline and announced for Miami yesterday. He ultimately picked UM over others in his top 3 including FSU and South Carolina.
The Player
Because of his intense quickness off the edge combined with his relative lack of height, Davis is an easy comparison to former Michigan DE and 2020 NFL second round pick Josh Uche. Profiles as a pass rushing and 3rd down specialist on film, showing an incredible first step to beat offensive linemen before they can even get out of their stance. Fierce rusher that seems to be giving maximum effort at all times. Exploits weaknesses in the line to shoot gaps and make easy stops in the backfield. Plays with good pad level to dip under opponent’s blocks and explode upfield. Showcases a variety of spin and swim moves in his ****nal. Technically advanced at this stage when it comes to his handwork and understanding of using his leverage/low center of gravity. Not just a pure agility guy, though; demonstrates he can convert his speed into power at times to push upfield and move bodies out of his way. Impressive athleticism displayed in his ability to play tight end and shows breakaway speed from DB’s.
Shows he can contain the edge in the run game at times, but would like to see more of that on film. Can get washed out of the play if he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and needs more functional playing strength. Will have to continue to improve his run stopping ability in holding up at the point of attack to have a chance at being a 3-down player at the next level. Short and stubby frame combined with a lack of length could become an issue for him against ACC-level OL that have even average reach.
As a junior in 2019, Davis was named Region 1-7A Defensive Player of the Year after posting a line of 47 tackles, 16.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, and 1 FR, plus a TD catch on offense. Also a star in track, both in sprinting and the shot put. Has clocked a 4.7 40-yard dash in the past at the Rivals Atlanta Camp in March 2019.
The Class
Davis’ commitment brings the total class numbers to 21 and he is the second DE in the 2021 class, joining Columbus (FL) 4-star Jabari Ishmael. The Canes have recruited like they were looking for two players at DE the entire cycle, so things seem to be pretty much locked up at this spot, although Miami could keep in touch with a few prospects to keep some options on the board just in case things change with the numbers situation. UM has kept in touch with jumbo ends in Boone (FL) 4-star Shambre Jackson and Gadsden County (FL) 3-star Darrell Jackson (a Tennessee commit) at various points throughout the quarantine; both offer positional versatility in that they could potentially grow into defensive tackles, but the pair appear to be on the outside looking in to this class assuming nothing else changes.
The Team
Miami will lose Quincy Roche to graduation at the position following 2020, and Gregory Rousseau will certainly consider leaving early for the NFL if he continues his assault on ACC quarterbacks. Even if Rousseau does jump early, the Canes have recruited very strongly at DE in recent years and have really been stacking some serious talent, with guys like Jaelan Phillips, Jahfari Harvey, and Chantz Williams waiting in the wings to potentially become the next great UM pass rusher.
With Miami’s depth at DE, Davis won’t be needed right away as a freshman, although he is already close to being physically ready for the college level and could potentially carve out a 3rd down-type role by the end of his first season UM. There’s going to be a ton of competition at this spot for reps going forward, so Davis is going to have to continue to excel in other areas of the game to make up for his height/length restrictions and see major playing time at UM. He has a good shot to do just that and at the very least develop into a rotational contributor over the next 4 seasons.
