UK star is chasing the NFL. When his playing days are done, could NASCAR be next?
The phrase “next man up” is thrown around a lot in football when discussing a team’s depth or lack thereof. Typically it’s prompted by an injury suffered on the football field.
Jamin Davis’ opportunity to become a starter last season for the University of Kentucky was a “next man up” moment, but one that cut deep through UK’s whole roster. Christopher Oats, coming off a strong sophomore season that caused most to pencil him in as a starting middle linebacker in 2020, suffered a stroke last summer that has required continuing rehabilitation; he recently stood for the first time in months.
As a result Davis, viewed as the key reserve of a three-headed monster at linebacker following spring ball, was thrust into a starting role opposite DeAndre Square and turned heads. He led UK in tackles (102), forced a fumble, blocked a kick and recorded three interceptions, including the one that led to the game-clinching touchdown against North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
He would have started alongside Square again this fall, but Davis decided to forego his senior season (and, due to an NCAA COVID-19 waiver, a possible additional year of college eligibility) to enter April’s NFL Draft. He’s one class away from finishing his bachelor’s degree, and is handling that remotely from Santa Ana, Calif., where he’s doing pre-draft workouts. He plans on returning to Lexington to graduate in May, if in-person ceremonies are held.
Davis has been working out with some familiar faces, like Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, and has signed with Athletes First, one of the premiere agencies in professional football. (Among those it represents? Aaron Rodgers, Michael Thomas and Jalen Ramsey.) Things have gone well with his new “family” in the few weeks since he’s left Lexington, but that doesn’t make him miss his old one any less.
“It got to a point where I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and I just talked with coaches, my mom and dad of course a bunch, and it seemed like it was just the best decision for me,” Davis told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview. “Just being that there damn near wasn’t a season this year with COVID and everything and I didn’t want to take the risk of coming back and doing nothing but hurting my draft stock, you know what I mean?
“It was very heart-wrenching, honestly. I didn’t know what I should do. I just went with it and trusted my gut.”
Draft prep
College programs are able to solicit NFL scouting evaluations on up to five underclassmen every year. Davis was one of those for whom UK sought guidance. He described the feedback he received as “inexact,” so much of his decision was rooted in how he believes he stacks up against other linebackers coming out this year.
The Draft Network ranks Davis as the 248th best player available overall and right inside the top 20 linebackers looking to get picked. Neither CBS Sports nor Walter Football even mentioned him as of Feb. 1. How Davis performs in combine settings over the next few weeks will be crucial to him getting selected in April.
“Whatever I can (prove),” Davis said. “Just to show everyone that doubted me or that’s still doubting me that I’m not just some average backer that came from a simple SEC school. We know how to breed linebackers and breed players at UK. I can come out and show people how athletic I am or whatever they want to see, honestly. I’ll play center if they want me to. I’ll do anything.”
Jon Sumrall, UK’s inside linebackers coach, believes Davis has the tools to contribute right away in the NFL, particularly on special teams, a unit with which he played significant snaps in the seasons leading up to 2020. He has improved as a leader, vocally, and has always demonstrated the necessary work ethic in practice and on game day in terms of leading in that realm.
Sumrall thinks he has a long runway in front of him, too.
“Jamin’s not a finished product,” Sumrall told the Herald-Leader. “I think he’s just begun to scratch the surface for what he can become as a football player in regards to his football IQ and awareness and recognition. He’s improved a lot and I think he’s got a lot of growth left in him. … The sky’s the limit for what he can become.”
Davis admits that he struggled on and off the field prior to Sumrall’s arrival from Mississippi before the 2019 season. His grades weren’t bad, but they weren’t as good as they could have been, and he had a hard time figuring out UK’s defensive scheme. The wheels started spinning the right direction for him midway through the 2019 campaign, during which he became significant member of the linebacker rotation in the midst of a strong in-season turnaround for the team as a whole.
He was roommates with Kash Daniel, whom he give ample credit along with Sumrall, for helping him develop into a player capable of stepping up last season when circumstances made it necessary.
“Coach Sumrall’s got a couple screws loose in his head, and it’s the same way with Kash,” Davis said with a laugh. “… He took me under his wing from the start as well. The main thing he told me before the season started is you’ve got to pave your own way, and I took it and ran with it.”
Other plans
Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted things, Davis was in the midst of an internship with Hughes Lowry Milner & Hayworth Attorneys in downtown Lexington. Criminal law is something that has always fascinated him, and it’s a field he can see himself in once his professional football pursuits have ended.
“You never know what can happen,” Davis said. “That’s one thing I’ve learned. Even if I do have a nice career in the NFL, the NFL stands for ‘not for long.’”
A post-NFL career doesn’t necessarily mean a career outside of sports. Growing up, Davis dreamed of becoming a NASCAR driver like Jimmie Johnson, his favorite guy behind the wheel.
“I was bummed out that he ended up retiring this year cause I was hoping one day I could meet him in the pits,” Davis said. “… That’s what a lot of people don’t know about me, is I’m a die-hard NASCAR fan.”
He and his siblings watched races religiously growing up (his brother rooted for Tony Stewart, his sister favored Dale Earnhardt Jr.). Davis got into all forms of motorsports, but NASCAR’s the one he has continued following into his college years.
When Kentucky qualified for the Belk Bowl following the 2019 season, one of its pregame events was a trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where players and staff got to do ride-alongs at NASCAR speeds in stock cars. Some players, under direct supervision, got to drive cars. Davis, of course, was one of them.
Sumrall during a checkup over the summer interrupted Davis in the middle of a Talladega race simulation he was running on his PlayStation 4.
“Jamin doesn’t go out and do a whole lot on the town,” Sumrall said. “He lives by himself and has interests that might surprise you, like NASCAR. He’s a very engaging, interesting kid. He’s a young man I’ve enjoyed getting to know every day the last couple of years.”
Might a career behind the wheel be a realistic venture someday for Davis?
“I feel like if I had some training I would be able to do it one day,” Davis said. “I know it’s pretty hard to get into, but if I had the right connections and whatnot, I would definitely go for it.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 7:23 AM.
