After Solid Spring, Davis Finds Himself On Verge of UW Greatness

Husky Roster Review: The junior defensive tackle has become a team mainstay.

Elinneus Davis has stepped up his game as a junior defensive tackle. | Dave Sizer

Covering a lot of ground, senior linebacker Jacob Manu clearly was a University of Washington spring football standout.

Add to that junior tight end Decker DeGraaf, who was consistently good while catching more passes than anyone else.

And furthermore sophomore offensive guard John Mills showed himself to be an extra vocal and physical team leader, trading words and shoves wherever necessary.

However, the player who might have been better than anyone over those 15 offseason practices was Elinneus Davis, the 6-foot-3, 312-pound junior defensive tackle from Moorhead, Minnesota.

From start to finish, he was unfailingly enthusiastic and disruptive as he made the line of scrimmage his private domain.

“He’s becoming the type of player that we’re expecting him to be,” Husky coach Jedd Fisch said of Davis.

Elinneus Davis prepares to go through a spring drill involving pads. | Dave Sizer phot

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.

After becoming a starter last season, a confident Davis seems ready to take his game to another level and become an honors candidate.

He's come a long way since he was a shy, soft around the edges and sometimes homesick freshman who redshirted for the Huskies' national runner-up team in 2023.

"I wanted to be the one playing in those moments and I wanted to be the one to try and help out in every way I can," Davis said. "It was all just a mindset, of me flipping a switch, and realizing I'm here now and to make the most of my opportunities and try to be the best player I can be. It's paid off so far."

In April scrimmage play, he proved hard to block and had no fewer than five tackles for loss while being deeply involved in everything going on with the Husky defense.

He stuffed redshirt freshman running back Quaid Carr for a 3-yard loss in the third practice and then literally threw him down for no gain in the fourth session, which made Carr jump to his feet and get in Davis' face.

Jacob Bandes (55) and Elinneus Davis (90) celebrate Davis' first career sack in 2024. | Skylar Lin Visuals

He practically took freshman Brian Bonner Jr.'s head off while dropping him for a 2-yard loss.

Davis wrapped up and let junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. go for a 5-yard loss and a sack during the fifth practice.

He tackled freshman running back Ansu Sanoe for a yard loss, catching him trying to go around left end in the sixth practice.

Getting his hands on Carr one more time in practice No. 8, Davis brought him down for a 5-yard loss.

Finishing off his negative-yardage plays, the big tackle jumped on top of Bonner and smothered him for a 4-yard loss in the ninth practice.

When he wasn't wrapping up offensive players, Davis was seen dancing to the retro music being pumped through Husky Stadium, giving pass-rushing pointers to redshirt freshman edge rusher Victor Sanchez Hernandez and being the first position player out for practice.

"[He's] a defensive lineman that has the opportunity to play 35 to 40 reps [per game], being able to continue to get to a spot where he can be a huge impact player for us all season long,” Fisch said.

Elinneus Davis, knee braces and all, moves to the next spring drill. | Dave Sizer photo

What he's done: Just one of nine players who remain from the UW's 2023 national runner-up team roster, Davis has appeared in 25 career games and he started 10 times last fall. He has career stats of 43 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, plus 3 pass deflections.

Starter or not: Davis opened last season as a starter and ended up that way. Yet he was one of three players who started in that tackle spot, giving way to Anterio Thompson and Bryce Butler for the games he didn't open. Thompson is now in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons while Butler transferred to Texas Tech.