Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2017 37 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MATT JONES New options presented themselves to Cedar Hill (Texas) High three-star quarterback Avery Davis in mid-De- cember. Following a 4-8 Notre Dame season, Davis' main recruiter, offen- sive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford, left to take the head coach job at Western Kentucky. On Dec. 13, in-state power Baylor offered the 5-11, 185-pound signal- caller a scholarship. The following day, Davis' high school coach, Joey McGuire, joined the Bears' staff. The flurry of moves caused spec- ulation that the Notre Dame com- mit might be evaluating his options. That, however, wasn't the case. "To clear all the hype & confusion, I am solid with Notre Dame. Noth- ing has changed for me nor will it. #Go Irish," Davis tweeted. He then added: "Im [sic] not doing interviews because there's no reason. My stance never changed." Davis, who committed to the Irish in early 2016 and kept his recruit- ment very low profile, was a clear priority for Notre Dame on the re- cruiting trail. The Irish targeted just one other quarterback in the class of 2017 — five-star Clemson early enrollee Hunter Johnson. The dual-threat Da- v i s w a s 1 8 9 - o f - 2 7 2 passing for 2,876 yards with 37 touchdowns and five interceptions in his senior year. He added six touchdowns on the ground. He car- ried that momentum to Orlando, Fla., where he completed 3 of 12 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown in the Under Armour All-America Game. He also ran four times for 16 yards. Davis — who missed two games early in his senior season with a high ankle sprain — will now work with new Irish quarterbacks coach Tom Rees, not Sanford. Again, that doesn't appear to be a big problem for Davis. "It was sad to see him go, but it's a great opportunity," Davis said of Sanford. "I wouldn't pass it up if I was him either. I'm happy for him. "I committed to the school for bigger rea- sons than one position coach." Through it all, Da- vis remained focused on the big picture and what Notre Dame can offer long term. "I just believe in ev- erything they've got going," Davis said. "Coach [Brian] Kelly is a great guy and the of- fense they're running fits me perfectly. "The school, you can't beat it. The peo- ple are cool. I like ev- erything about it." Even the weather. Davis hails from the Dallas suburbs where snow is a rar- ity. The 18-year-old took his official visit to Notre Dame's campus in De- cember for the Echoes Awards ban- quet and enjoyed the wintery condi- tions in South Bend. "It's just some of the prettiest things I've ever seen," Davis said. "Snow falling on the Golden Dome is just gorgeous." ✦ AVERY DAVIS QUARTERBACK 5-11 • 185 CEDAR HILL H.S. CEDAR HILL, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 19 80 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 153 7 27 ✪ ✪ ✪ 382 10 49 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 189 11 34 MEASURABLES • Recorded a time of 4.25 seconds in the shuttle drill, ran a 4.63 40-yard dash and posted a 32.7- inch vertical jump at the Nike Football The Open- ing Regional March 13, 2016, in Dallas. STATISTICS • Completed 188 of 273 passes for 2,876 yards with 37 touchdowns and five picks as a senior. Also rushed 84 times for 369 yards and six scores. • Threw for 463 yards and four touchdowns plus ran for 109 yards and two scores in a 55-41 loss to DeSoto High School in the Texas 6A Divi- sion II Regional Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. • As a junior, connected on 138 of 211 passes for 2,138 yards with 25 touchdowns and four interceptions. Added 1,007 yards and 14 scores on the ground. • As a starter at Cedar Hill, completed 327 of 483 pass attempts for 5,014 yards and accounted for 82 total touchdowns. HONORS • Named the 2016 Texas District 7-6A Offensive Player of the Year. • Selected to The Dallas Morning News All-Area second team. • One of 10 quarterbacks on The Dallas Morning News' list of the top 100 players in the area, and one of six named to The Waco Tribune-Herald Top 100. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in the Under Armour All-America Game. • Chosen to represent the U.S. Under-19 Na- tional Team against Canada at the North American Championship Jan. 28 in Orlando, Fla. • Participated in the Nike Football The Opening Regional March 13, 2016, in Dallas. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on May 19, 2016, over 17 other offers. • Primarily recruited by former offensive coordina- tor Mike Sanford. • Visited Notre Dame four times and took his offi- cial visit on Dec. 9-11 for the Echoes Awards banquet. NOTABLE • Born Aug. 26, 1998. • First quarterback from Texas to sign with Notre Dame since Carlyle Holiday in 2000. 2017 PROJECTION • With Brandon Wimbush entrenched as the starter, and the return of senior Montgomery Van- Gorder and sophomore Ian Book, it is expected that Davis will preserve a season of eligibility. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "What we love about Avery is that he's played for championships. That's what Cedar Hill does at the highest level in Texas. So he has that pedigree; that he's used to play- ing in big games. He doesn't shy away from the competition. He plays his best in the biggest of games. " Offensive coordinator Chip Long: "A very tough, very accurate and very explosive player. ... A great leader. He touches everybody at his school, and everybody looks up to him." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "It isn't al- ways pretty, but Avery Davis has proven to be a highly productive football player, including 82 touchdowns over the last two seasons while throwing just nine interceptions. "He has a lightning quick release, and when he steps into throws, the ball jumps out of his hand, giving him the ability to make any throw on the field. He is a dynamic runner, but his passing me- chanics are a bit erratic." Avery Davis Remained Solid To The Irish Despite Changes Over his final two prep seasons at Cedar Hill (Texas) High, Davis threw 62 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM