Terp Profile: Running Back Tayon Fleet-Davis
Name: Tayon Fleet-Davis
Position: Running back
Height/Weight: 6’0”/217 lbs
Class: Senior
2019 Stats: 265 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 63 rushes; 181 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 15 catches; appeared in first ten games of the season
Breakdown: It’s been a fast four years for Tayon Fleet-Davis, the former three-star running back out of Potomac (MD). Maryland went head-to-head with Syracuse out of high school before the hometown team won out in the summer heading into senior year, weeks after his teammate and former Terp Deon Jones announced his commitment. The physical running back showed his relentless motor out of high school as his physical run style helped him break through all arm tackles as he tallied ten touchdowns as a senior.
Fleet-Davis ended up becoming the first of three running backs for Maryland that cycle as Javon Leake followed later before Anthony McFarland became the last-minute signature pledge. The 6-foot, 217-pound running back made a name for himself in a crowded backfield once he hit the backfield as a sophomore when he scored his first-career touchdown in the season-opening home win against Texas. Fleet-Davis showcased himself as the all-around running back with his soft hands and ability to break loose into space as he played in every game as a sophomore.
His experience came in handy as a junior when the running back room suffered injury after injury, depleting the once-deep backfield. Fleet-Davis finished 2019 third on the team with 265 rushing yards despite missing the final two games for non-football reasons.
Heading into 2020, he returns with key veteran experience as just one of two upperclassmen running backs alongside senior Jake Funk. The staff signed a pair of running backs in Peny Boone and Isaiah Jacobs that will help shore up the run game, but Fleet-Davis has showcased what he can do with the ball once he finds space.
The running back room will be revamped heading into the fall, but Fleet-Davis can provide the bit of consistency out of the backfield as enters his final season in undoubtedly his biggest role yet.
