College Football: McCluer North grad Davis adjusts to playing a new position
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| Photo supplied by Christopher Mitchell and the University of Minnesota - McCluer North graduate Steve Davis is trying to adjust to playing linebacker for the University of Minnesota after previously being a defensive end. |
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That's worked out just fine. Davis earned a football scholarship to the University of Minnesota, saw plenty of playing time as a defensive end his first two years at the school and helped the Golden Gophers make it to a bowl game both seasons.
But when Glen Mason left, new head coach Tim Brewster's staff looked at Davis and thought one thing - linebacker."He has all the looks and assets that a major college linebacker posseses," said his position coach, John Butler. "His body type looks great, he's about 225 or 230 with good length, long arms and moves well enough."
Davis was coming off a solid sophomore season in which he recorded 33 tackles, including seven for a loss. However, Butler said that Davis, who is built more like a linebacker at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, was agreeable to moving if it would help the Golden Gophers.
"We presented it to him and said we thought it was best for the team, and being a good teammate, he agreed to do it," Butler said. "I think it appealed to his interest to play at the next level. If he has any aspirations to play, there are not a whole of NFL defensive ends his size. But, really, we had a need there for somebody with skills like him."
Last season was Davis' first off the line and out of a three-point stance. It was something of a struggle for him, though he did record 29 tackles and 25 assists, including three for a loss.
"It was slow going at first," Davis said. "I was just trying to get adjusted to playing that position. I started getting a better feel late in the year, and this spring, I got a much better feel for it as far as reactions and reads and knowing where to be on the field."
That Davis would take some time to get used to the position was not unexpected, Butler said. He likened the experience to a student in Spanish 101 getting dropped off at a street cafe in Madrid and being expected to pick up the language.
"In his defense, the system that we put in was a pretty complex system that required lot of foundation and knowledge that he just didn't have," Butler said. "There was naturally going to be an adjustment time.
"The game is so much different when you're standing on two feet as opposed to playing out of a three-point stance. There's so much stuff to see and process. To all of a sudden move from a position you've played your whole life to a totally new spot, it's going to be a transition."
Minnesota's program itself was in something of a transition. After playing in bowls for five straight seasons, the Golden Gophers bottomed out last year, going 1-11. Defensively, the team allowed an average of 521 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play.
After that, there is no where basically to go but up.
"I mean, it was real tough," Davis said. "A lot of guys were just adjusting to the new system the new coaches had brought in. It took us a while, and we kind of had a slow reaction to it."
Davis, who was recently chosen as a captain for the upcoming season, has spent his summer in Minneapolis attending summer school and working out with the team. A mass communication major, he is scheduled to graduate in December.
As a senior in high school, Davis decided he was going to the Big Ten. He was recruited by several of the conference's schools, including Northwestern, Indiana and Wisconsin. He has enjoyed his time at Minnesota, and says he made the right choice.
"I knew I would get the opportunity to play and get a good education," Davis said. "Plus, the Big Ten is a competitive conference, and everybody has a chance to win. You play against good teams every week and the competition is always there.
"This year will be a better year," he added. "I still want to get that Big Ten championship. That's still my main goal."
Butler said Davis is the kind of student athlete all schools are looking to nab.
"He's going to graduate in four years with well above a 3.0 average," Butler said. "Aside from football part, he's a great kid. He's going to be successful no matter what he does."
