Transfer Tales: How Family, Faith and Goku Shaped Davon Sears' Journey to Oklahoma
NORMAN — Davon Sears made the move to Norman as a highly regarded and sought after defensive line prospect in the transfer portal.
He chose the Sooners over household names like Tennessee and Penn State, while also receiving offers from Arkansas, Houston, USC and Miami.
For Sears, though, the late offers couldn’t begin to tell half of his story. The spotlight was earned through years of preparation and faith in the process.
He grew up in Detroit, where his talent was undeniable from a young age. Growing up with three older siblings, he found both joy and success through athletics and realized his potential early on.
“I just always knew when I was a kid,” Sears said. “I was always the biggest and the fastest kid. My mom was at my little league game, and she said dudes would literally try to talk to her to get close to me, so they could work with me. You know, in that moment, it was like, 'I'm really special. … I can do anything I want.' ”
Being the youngest member of the family and growing up in a single-mother household, Sears learned what it was like to take responsibility at an early age. Family is still one of the most important aspects in his life, as he makes it a point to call back home every day.
When Sears recalls his childhood memories, his mother seems to be at the forefront of them all. Growing up and realizing all that she did to make his dreams possible has provided both motivation and inspiration in his football career. An emotional moment that stood out to Sears as a child eventually ignited the fire inside him.
“I used to see my mother, there’s one time in particular, I've seen her just bawling her eyes out," Sears said. "And it's like nobody died or nothing, I just can tell that she was super stressed out. But when I got into high school, it really hit me that this is really, really hard. When she did it for us, she made so many sacrifices. It's my responsibility to try and make her life the best I can — me and my siblings' responsibility — so she can just relax for next 40 to 50 years.”
By the time Sears was in high school, his potential on the football field was obvious. At Center Line, though, football never felt like a priority. He took advantage of the “mandatory” workouts, as he put it, and dedicated his time to becoming as strong as possible.
Davon Sears
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK
Center Line, a Division 4 high school in Michigan, was never a school known for its football — until Sears came through. He helped change the culture for the Panthers, and led the team to its best season in recent memory. The school won its final three games of the season to win the MAC Bronze Division and win its first league title since 1996.
“I’m just being selfless as I can," Sears said. "Where I came from, the high school, we didn't have the best equipment. They don't have the same practices out there anymore, they made it like a soccer field. They just didn't take football seriously.
“I just knew that if it's gonna be the most important thing — you got to make yourself important. You know what I'm saying? You can't let nobody else dictate what your future is going to be. You got to make your own decisions and roll with the punches.”
Sears’ mindset of assertiveness, patience and faith would eventually pay off down the line, but he would have to wait for the progress to show. While at Center Line, he recorded 72 tackles, including 61 solo stops, nine quarterback sacks, and one forced fumble. The do-it-all lineman also returned a fumble for a touchdown.
His high school coaches wanted him to have a chance to play at the next level, and began to encourage Sears to look at all of his options. Every kid’s dream is to play Division I football, but to play at the next level in any capacity is an extremely impressive feat.
“I knew I wanted to go Division I out of high school," Sears said. "My coaches were trying to persuade me, saying, ‘You know, Division III isn't the worst route to take. It’s more like a brotherhood that you can make over there at a smaller environment,’ but I just always knew — it just wasn't for me at all.”
After his senior football season at Center Line, Sears ended up choosing the junior college route, betting on himself and his future at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, IA. He was also unknowingly following in the footsteps of former Oklahoma junior college defensive linemen Perrion Winfrey and current senior Isaiah Coe. Both players starred at Iowa Western, an annual opponent for Sears’ Panthers.
“I didn't grow up in a horrible neighborhood or nothing like that,” Sears recalled. “But I did grow up with a single mother and three other siblings. So I knew that things were challenging. My coaches were telling me that going to junior college, it was gonna be super rough. I was like, 'I already know what rough is,' you know? If these guys can do it, why can’t I do it?”
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While at Ellsworth, Sears earned All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference honors in five games played. He recorded 15 tackles, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. To add to his production, he also forced fumbles against Grand View University and Iowa Western. At the season’s conclusion, Sears was First-Team All-Region. Betting on himself and the junior college route paid off.
"I watched a whole lot of Last Chance U (on Netflix)," Sears said. "I was really familiar with the junior college process. And, you know, I didn’t have the best grades out of high school. I mean, even if I got all these Division I offers, it would’ve just put my mother and the people around me through more heartache. Maybe that’s just something I had to deal with because I made my own decisions. I should’ve taken school a lot more serious."
Sears' longterm mindset, self-reflection, and patient approach continued at Ellsworth and proved to pay off long down the road,
From there, the Detroit product made the jump to Texas State, fulfilling his goal of playing Division I football. He wasn’t satisfied, but he finally secured the opportunity he’d been looking for. At Texas State, he knew he could prove he belonged at the next level.
Sears redshirted in 2021, but made a strong impression as a redshirt sophomore in 2022. Zac Spavital, Texas State’s ex-defensive coordinator and current Maryland safeties coach, mentioned Sears as “probably our most talented (defensive line) guy from just a numbers, athletic, size, speed standpoint” before the season kicked off, and he lived up to the hype.
Sears recorded 15 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two pass deflections at Texas State as a redshirt sophomore in 2022. He made the most out of his 355 snaps in 12 games last season. According to PFF, he was one of only 11 Group of Five interior defensive linemen to rank inside the top 25 in both pass-rushing and run-defense grades.
Davon Sears
Texas State Athletics
His one season of production at Texas State was more than enough to attract top Power 5 schools when he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. His time with the Bobcats was an essential stop in his journey, but Sears was always thinking one step ahead. He was thinking about the bigger picture.
“I knew I had time,” Sears said, looking back on his time at Texas State. “I had my COVID year and I had a redshirt year — I had time. If I just really work here, you know, do everything I can, I think I got a chance to really do something. I talked to my whole family. I love Texas State now, but I knew I could do way better, and there's got to be something more.”
Sears quickly found out what “more” meant when he started hearing from coaches after the season was over. He eventually landed on the Sooners and quickly got to work. He has a chance to shine on the national stage at Oklahoma and can earn playing time with a strong spring.
As he adjusts to new scenery in Norman, a big transfer class has made it easy to connect with other out-of-town teammates. One member of the Sooners’ transfer portal class in particular has helped make Oklahoma feel like home for the defensive lineman.
Davon Sears
Texas State Athletics
“Jacob Lacey, that's my guy,” Sears said with a laugh. “He's a really good dude. I guess you could call us nerds, we both like anime and just watching cartoons. We're not too cool for things like that. It's definitely cool, because I was a little nervous. I'm like ‘Man is everybody gonna be just football this and football that here?’ But it's definitely cool to find somebody like that. Like me.”
Sears’ off-field interests include art, drawing and other sports like basketball. But his connection with anime, especially the hit show "Dragon Ball Z," reaches far beyond the football field. In addition to helping him find friendship in Norman, the show’s main character, Goku, has been a guiding hand on Sears as a person.
Looking back on his childhood, that was someone he looked up to — someone that helped shape his own mindset.
“ 'Dragon Ball Z' is definitely my favorite cartoon, anime — whatever you want to call it, it’s my favorite TV show,” Sears said. “I grew up wanting to be just like Goku.”
Goku, the protagonist, is known as one of the earth’s greatest defenders. He constantly strives and trains to be the greatest warrior he can be, keeping the universe safe when he has to. The character’s patience, determination and willing to sacrifice can be seen throughout Sears’ overarching journey to Oklahoma.
“It's like, we don't have like a father in the house,” Sears said. “Guys like me, we like to look at one of our favorite cartoon dads, or anime characters. And I'll always aspire to be just like Goku — real friendly, peaceful and work hard.”
Playing the long game has worked to perfection for Sears, and his warrior's mentality is ultimately what has gotten him to this point. Now, he has a chance to develop under Brent Venables and Todd Bates — two coaches he knows can help him get to the next level.
Sears comes to Oklahoma as part of a loaded portal class, and could certainly carve out a case for early playing time. According to 247, he's the fourth-ranked prospect transferring in behind linebacker Dasan McCullough of Indiana, defensive end Rondell Bothroyd of Wake Forest, and offensive tackle Walter Rouse of Stanford — all Power 5 starters at their former schools.
"When you get them, you better get guys that can make an impact," Venables said in February regarding talent from the transfer portal and junior college route. "Where that’ll be is yet to be determined. But these are guys that we feel strongly are going to be able to make us better day one.
"They're still gonna get what they earn, there’s a lot of work to do mentally to pick up new verbiage and a new language. Then the fundamentals, within schemes and those types of things. But we would not have signed them if we didn’t feel like they would make us better both immediately and potential of guys that can potentially be starters. They’ll certainly have every opportunity like everyone else on the team."
It's clear how the Sooners' head coach views his transfer class, and Sears is a valuable member of the group.
In just a few short years, he went from an unranked recruit to the first person from his high school to play at the Division I level. Now, Sears has a chance to shine at Oklahoma, for both himself and his family back home. He's embodied a mentality of determination, perseverance and confidence — just like his role model Goku — and defied the odds at every stop so far.
"This is just like a different plateau," Sears said. "And I'm just excited to see the player that I can be. It has been a really good transition and I just want to keep on working."
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