Inside The Huskies

Ex-Husky Receiver Taj Davis Reportedly Finds Landing Spot at Cal

The veteran pass-catcher entered the transfer portal after spring practice ended.
Dan Raley|
Ex-Husky Receiver Taj Davis Reportedly Finds Landing Spot at Cal
Ex-Husky Receiver Taj Davis Reportedly Finds Landing Spot at Cal

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Washington Huskies

Taj Davis' out route apparently will cover 800 miles before he breaks it off.

The former University of Washington wide receiver, according to multiple reports, will transfer to California, giving the Bears an even greater Husky influence throughout its football program.

Davis, a part-time starter for the past two seasons, was the UW's biggest name to leave the program this past spring when he entered the transfer portal on April 28, within a week following the final scrimmage.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound junior didn't publicly offer a reason for his departure, but he likely sought a much bigger offensive role. That wasn't going to happen at the UW with Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk returning as Husky starters for the 2023 season. 

California has been in the market to find a No. 1 receiver since J.Michael Sturdivant entered the transfer portal and committed to UCLA this past offseason, and Davis could be the answer.

Davis will forever be remembered in Seattle for his 62-yard touchdown catch from Michael Penix Jr. at Oregon that tied the game at 34 with 3:07 remaining in Eugene and led to the UW's 37-34 victory.

The Chino, California, product played two seasons for the Huskies, redshirted and opted out of the 2020 season with a heart condition when the pandemic began.

He caught 47 passes for 606 yards and 4 touchdowns in his time in Montlake. 

In two games against the Bears, Davis caught 2 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown, a 19-yard throw from Dylan Morris, in the UW's 31-24 victory in Seattle in 2021, and he had 3 receptions for 20 yards in last season's 28-21 win in Berkeley.

Davis will find plenty of former UW players and coaches in the Cal program. He'll be reunited with a former teammate in linebacker Jackson Sirmon, who joined the Bears last season and flourished as an All-Pac-12 player.

The coaching staff is led by Justin Wilcox, a one-time Husky defensive coordinator (2012-13) His defensive coordinator is Peter Simon, a former UW linebackers coach (2012-13) and Jackson's father, and his defensive-backs coaches are Terrence Brown and Tre Watson, former Husky secondary coach (2020-21) and one-time starting defensive back (2011-13), respectively. 

The UW and California meet in the fourth game of the coming season, on Sept. 23 at Husky Stadium.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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