Derrick Davis had Penn State and Ohio State at the top of his college list for a while. Then everything changed with a trip to Bayou Country.
Davis, a star football player at Gateway High School, made a visit to Louisiana State last weekend. He didn’t even attend a game, but the visit was a game-changer in Davis’ recruitment. He became enthralled with the place and he showed Saturday how much he likes LSU when he announced he had made a verbal commitment to the Tigers.
Davis (6 feet 1, 190 pounds) is a senior running back-defensive back recruited by LSU to play safety. He is a four-star prospect, according to Rivals.com, and is considered the No. 1 player in the WPIAL class of 2021. He made the LSU announcement at a get-together of friends, family and teammates at the Pitcairn Monroeville Sportsmen’s Club.
“I think I shocked some people,” Davis said with a laugh.
Davis’ choice is a surprise to many for two reasons: Penn State and Ohio State were his top choices for a long time, and also because it’s rare for LSU to land a WPIAL player. In fact, it’s a head-scratcher to think of the last time a WPIAL football player chose LSU. Lineman Jim Hubicz and linebacker Nebojsa Samoz of Sharon High School just outside the WPIAL both signed with LSU in 1985. Sharon left the WPIAL for District 10 a few years earlier.
Pitt and Georgia also were on Davis’ final list, but Davis acknowledged he would’ve chosen Penn State or Ohio State if he didn’t visit LSU with his mother and aunt. The LSU coaches weren’t on campus last weekend because the team had a game at Auburn.
“But they made sure they Face Timed me while I was there, making sure I get to the places I wanted,” Davis said. “I just loved the diversity of the college, really. There are a lot of kids down there who are all motivated to succeed. I just need to be at a college that has a positivity to it. For my mom to see other kids doing schoolwork on weekends, that kind of won her over. The engineering program won her over, too.”
Davis’ mother, Venneasha Davis, is a teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Derrick Davis plans to major in electrical engineering.
“I think I needed to go far from home, just to try something new,” Davis said. “It’s always good for someone to try something new. Go out and explore the country. Don’t feel like you have to be trapped up here.”
Davis took a moment to offer some advice to future high school players.
“It’s real important to see the campus,” said Davis, who plans to enroll at LSU for the spring semester. “Don’t go to a school just looking at the facilities. Actually go out and see the campus. That’s what won it for LSU with me.”
Davis has goals of being the next standout defensive back at LSU. He even has visions of the “Honey Badger” in his head. Kansas City Chiefs standout safety Tyrann Mathieu got the nickname when he played at LSU.
“That’s a guy I just really looked up to,” Davis said. “(LSU safety coach Bill) Busch told me I could be the next Honey Badger. I took that as I will be the next Honey Badger.”
At Gateway, Davis started since his freshman year. He always played running back but played a few different positions on defense.
“The guys that recruited him the hardest were telling him that his versatility is his biggest thing,” Gateway coach Don Holl said. “The game has become a different game and you need some of those Swiss Army knife guys where you don’t have to substitute for every situation.
“It’s good to have guys like Derrick who can maybe line up in the box and be an edge rusher, or be an outside linebacker type, but also be deep and be a middle safety or slot cornerback who can blitz off the edge. That’s his number one quality, his versatility.”
Davis finished his career with nearly 4,000 yards rushing, 109 receptions for 1,489 yards and scored 74 touchdowns. Davis made the prestigious Fabulous 22 as a sophomore and junior.
“His body of work is pretty crazy,” Holl said.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: November 7, 2020, 9:42 p.m.
Updated: November 7, 2020, 9:42 p.m.