Cam Davis Still Introducing Himself Around to Everyone
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Not everyone noticed that Cam Davis didn't play in last season's Apple Cup. In fact, he didn't even dress for the game against Washington State.
Yet according to his University of Washington football bio, he appeared in every outing in 2021.
New Husky offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb recently acknowledged he didn't know Davis was as fast as he is.
The sophomore running back from Rancho Cucamonga, California, earlier was hand-timed at 4.4 seconds over 40 yards.
"He had two [runs] yesterday that probably surprised me a lot," Grubbs said last week. "He had a different gear than I thought."
Therein lies the problem with the solidly built 6-foot, 208-pound ball carrier as he enters his fourth season at the UW — Davis is still trying to become a more familiar face to all of those around him.
"That was kind of my motto for the offseason is to prove it to myself and prove it to the team and prove it to the coaches," he said. "That's something I want to come out this year — just show my speed and my real talent."
Davis might be the fastest of the Huskies' seven scholarship running backs trying to nail down the starting job if not playing time in Kalen DeBoer's high-powered offense.
He very well could be the player whose skills best fit what the new staff requires, which is running the ball with authority, catching it reliably out in the flat and blocking without a letdown.
Davis seemingly always has been on the verge of establishing himself with the Huskies but he hasn't quite got there.
He made his college debut in the middle of the 2019 season against Oregon, ran for 7 yards on his only carry and sat down.
He started the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State, carried the ball once and his work was done.
Last season, Davis enjoyed a career outing at Stanford, rushing 18 times for 99 yards, but, of course, he fell a yard shy of the preferred running-back stat standard for a full day's work.
He started just once last season against Colorado in the next-to-last game on the schedule before minor knee issues kept him in street clothes for the WSU game. An offseason surgical procedure forced him to sit out spring practice, but Davis says he's healthy again and ready to go.
"I feel great," he said. "It's a journey. I'm just taking in the process, taking every year, every day, at a time. I'm always in a constant state of improvement."
As he spoke about his progress, Davis got photo-bombed, or video-bombed (as shown in the accompanying clip) by fellow running back Richard Newton and wide receiver Jalen McMillan. The other players certainly know who he is and like him.
Everybody on the Husky offense is feeling a little giddy these days, Davis among them, when considering the possibilities presented by a Grubb-designed offense capable of churning out a lot of yards and points, and fully approved by DeBoer.
"Grubb is a mastermind; he's a genius," Davis said. "We figured that out from the start. Grubb's really different. We're just excited to play in his offense."
If all goes well for Davis, he'll make Grubb overly enthused to have him in it.
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