The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
32 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL Titan Davis tried not to overreact in the immediate aermath of Michigan's coaching change. The Rivals Top 100 defensive lineman found his collegiate home in Ann Arbor and was completely set on enrolling in the summer aer signing in December. He picked the Wolverines over Ala- bama and was one of the program's most consistent and loyal pledges while the Crimson Tide, Penn State and others continued to push to try and flip him. The coaching change threw Davis' fu- ture into limbo, and he relied on his fam- ily to keep him centered. "I was panicking at first like, 'OK, what am I going to do?'" Davis said. "The coach just le, and you don't know what's going to happen to the program. My mom just told me, 'Stay down and wait for everything to fold out, and it'll just turn out good." Davis feels good about the outcome. The St. Louis De Smet High defensive lineman remains completely locked in with the program and will not be enter- taining other schools before moving to Ann Arbor in June. U-M initially kept his po- sition coach — Lou Esposito — and assistant defensive line coach David Denham. Da- vis also likes what he learned from his research into head coach Kyle Whittingham. "I think it's going to be good," Davis said. "He's a hard-nosed coach, and he likes to play a certain type of defense that I like to play." Having Esposito announce his departure for an NFL job in early February was an unex- pected twist. Davis had built a strong connection with the coach during the past year. "He calls me on the regular, and I think he's a good guy, a good developer, just what you want as a D-line coach," Davis said. Davis emphasized that he's "good to go" with the Wolver- ines. In fact, the nation's No. 8 defensive lineman per the Ri- vals Industry Ranking said he never re- ally considered other options. "I was always really locked in. … Me and my family, we're just stuck on Mich- igan. I think it was just the spot for me," Davis said. He's not an early enrollee, but the lineman plans on contributing early in Ann Arbor. Davis said he will spend as much time around the Wolverines' spring practice as he can while diving into the playbook so he has that dialed in before he officially moves to campus. And when he does officially enroll, he will team up with a loaded defensive line class that includes Carter Mead- ows, McHale Blade, Alister Vallejo and Tariq Boney. That group remained solid throughout all of the changes surround- ing Michigan's football program, and Davis is ready to be a part of this new era. "Everybody staying shows what Michigan's like, that we really went to Michigan for the right reasons," Davis said. "We weren't just going just for all the other things that people are going places for. We made the right decision for us, and I think that's why we all stuck together." ❑ Defensive Lineman Titan Davis Remains True Blue The Rivals Industry Ranking tabbed Davis as the No. 86 over- all prospect and the No. 8 defensive lineman in the nation. PHOTO BY ETHAN MCDOWELL TITAN DAVIS DEFENSIVE LINE 6-4 • 275 DE SMET JESUIT OVERLAND, MO. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 86 8 2 ✪✪✪✪ 95 9 2 ✪✪✪✪ 74 5 2 ✪✪✪✪ 183 22 2 STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks 2025 N/A 6.5 4.5 2024 48 18 9 2023 34 3 5 HONORS • Rated a PrepStar Top 300 All-American. • Invited to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl. • Named a Missouri Football Coaches Associa- tion Class 6A first-team all-state honoree in 2024 and 2025. • Also recognized as the MFCA Class 6A 2024 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. • A High School on SI first-team all-state pick. • 2024 and '25 MFCA Class 6 All-District selection. • 2024 and '25 Post-Dispatch All-Metro honoree • Three-time first-team All-MCC Defense (2024, '25, '26). RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan June 23, 2025. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Penn State. • Recruited by former U-M defensive line coach Lou Esposito. DID YOU KNOW? • Helped De Smet Jesuit to the Class 6 2024 state championship with a 13-2 record as a junior. • Began his high school career as a quarterback. • Also lettered in baseball. • Son of Jessica Johnson. • Born Aug. 6, 2007. THEY SAID IT Rivals Director Of Scouting And Rankings Charles Power: "Titan Davis is an active interior defensive lineman. He makes a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. He plays for one of the top high school programs in the state of Missouri. I like that he can win in a phone booth. … He does a good job of finding ball carriers in the backfield. He plays with good vision, active hands and good technique. There is a lot to like about Titan Davis." 2026 PROJECTION Contributing as a freshman interior defensive lineman is difficult, but Davis might have the frame and skill set necessary to do so. He arrives in the summer and will have to acclimate to the college game fast but, by the end of the year, he could push for a role in the rotation while likely preserv- ing his redshirt.