Husky Roster Review: Cam Davis Remains on Road to Recovery

The UW running back hasn't played in a game since 2022.

Cam Davis looks like he's outrunning this oversized ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

The last time Cam Davis played in a University of Washington football game, he got loose on a 26- yard run on his final carry, taking it out on Washington State in Pullman, while Kalen DeBoer put the finishing touches on his first year as the Husky leader.

That was 18 months, 16 games, three athletic directors and two coaches ago.

Davis proceeded to get hurt not just once but twice since then, missing out on two victories each over Texas and Oregon, and more.

He suffered a concussion in practice leading up the Alamo Bowl, forcing him to sit out the first postseason win over the Longhorns, and he tore up a knee in practice less than two weeks before last season's opener against Boise State, missing out on the Huskies' national championship bid and a chance to be a full-time starter.

For those who are superstitious, everything seemed to go downhill for the 6-foot, 212-pound Davis personally after he scored 13 touchdowns in 2022, an exemplary scoring total but a number still very much associated with bad luck.

Had he scored 12 or 14 times, would any of this ever happened?

Yet while the Huskies' Davises come and go -- see Dermaricus to UCLA and before that Taj to California -- Cam remains in Montlake, looking to get healthy again and finish strong as a sixth-year senior.

He remains exceedingly upbeat for a player who has dealt with so much physical misfortune and corresponding loss in the spotlight that has dragged out.

"I'm loyal to Washington," Davis said. "Washington has given me a home, given me a chance, so I just want to stick it out and get some more wins in my last year."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

It was a combination that didn't last: Davis and Davis, when Dermaricus transferred to UCLA, leaving Cam behind. | Skylar Lin Visuals

New coach Jedd Fisch brought in his own running backs in junior Jonah Coleman and freshmen Adam Mohammed and Jordan Washington, but he singled out Davis for being a locker-room presence who helped keep players from leaving.

Fisch also had to remember the UW back scored on 1- and 19-yard touchdown runs against his Arizona team in the Huskies; 49-39 victory in 2022.

This past spring, Davis took part in some drills but no contact. He looked agile and quick, as someone who can still run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He still had a ways to go before getting cleared to play again, but promised to be ready for fall camp.

Davis, while benefitting from Kalen DeBoer's pass-first offense by scoring a lot of short-range touchdowns, has been encouraged by what he sees with Fisch's pro-style offensive attack that will incorporate the run more.

He's not worried about returning to form, about being a productive running back again.

"It's hard to sit out for a whole year, but I've used that energy to put it back in my rehab," Davis said. "Right when I was injured, I knew I had that fight in me, that chip on my shoulder. I can't lie -- it was tough."

Cam Davis (22) missed last season but he stayed close to the action. | Skylar Lin Visuals

CAMERON DAVIS FILE

What he's done: Davis has career totals of 209 carries for 903 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, plus 38 receptions for 278 yards, most of it coming two years ago. He rushed 18 times for a career-high 99 yards against Stanford in 2021. He scored a career-best 3 touchdowns against Arizona State in 2022, snapping off a 42-yard gain, his longest, in the desert.

Starter or not: Davis likely serves as a back-up to Coleman, just as he did with Wayne Taulapapa the season before loss, but he's fully capable of opening games. He made his first career start in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl, opened against Colorado in 2021 and drew another start against Oregon State in 2022, and has appeared in 29 UW games.

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