Introducing The Kid Who Promised to be `The Future of D1'

What was once a dream, is becoming a reality for Cal freshman safety Niles Davis.

His ambitions were made clear in the spring of 2020, when he shared his goals in a charming video that made its way to Facebook.

Just finishing the sixth grade, Davis looked straight into the camera and announced, “I am Niles Davis and I am the future of D1.”

“It spoke into existence,” Davis said of his youthful proclamation.

Reminiscing about those days after practice on Friday, Davis said he and younger brother Charles were all about football from the start.

“Me and my brother, we grew up and that’s all we kept on saying, we’re going to tear it up when we get to D1 level,” Davis said.

They were training in Los Angeles with Ayinde Bomani, who operates the Run 2 Daylight Running Back Academy, coaches high school and junior college athletes and has helped college players prep for the NFL Combine.

It was Bomani who would encourage them by saying, “You guys are the future of D1.”

Bomani saw more than speed and athleticism in Davis, listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. “I always knew he was talented. But he had a work ethic. He had grit,” Bomani said.

As much as anything, Bomani made the video partly as a means of getting Davis to develop confidence as a speaker.

“I wanted him to learn how to talk and not be afraid. The ones who can talk fluently and are very articulate, companies are always looking for them,” Bomani said. “Especially in the day of NIL. Who can sell products? If they know you can talk, a good-looking guy, athletic, they want you.”

Davis was a running back through his junior season at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, then moved to wide receiver, where last fall he caught 41 passes for 618 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also played defense and emerged as a three-star college prospect.

He signed with Cal, graduated in December and enrolled mid-year at Berkeley, joining 10 other freshman on hand for spring practice.

The Bears have Davis at safety and he’s embracing the opportunity.

“I’m just taking it day by day, trusting the process, not making it too big,” said Davis, who talks more in the video below about his skills and his experience so far at Berkeley. “I love it at Cal. The people here are kind. Everybody knows everybody. It’s really nice.”

Davis’ younger brother, Charles, will be a senior next year at Westlake. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he has blossomed into a four-star recruit the top tight end prospect in California.

He has scholarship offers from the likes of UCLA, USC, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia and, of course, Cal.

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