Taj Davis' Path to Husky Starter Is Stuff Movies Are Made Of

If they made a Hollywood movie about Taj Davis, actor Mark Wahlberg would portray the University of Washington wide receiver. This flick would tell about someone who goes into battle with his teammates, but ends up all by himself.

They'd call it Lone Survivor.

Wahlberg starred in this military true story on the big screen; Davis participates in his real-time sporting version in various college football stadiums from Seattle to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The difference in these similar tales is this: The Husky pass catcher, one by one, got his teammates back.

A redshirt freshman from Chino, California, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Davis has gone through his own challenging gauntlet that is Husky football and come out more than OK on the other end.

He opted out of the 2020 season because of a medical issue and went home.

Davis returned for spring football this past April, but still had to be reminded what was needed from him by UW receivers coach Junior Adams, who kept him after a meeting for a one-on-one.

"He kind of told me he wanted to see more from me because he knew there was more in me," he said. "He kind of called me out, the way I was moving at practice and, from that point on, I kind of flipped a switch in my head and I started accomplishing each and every goal, step by step, and it led me here."

Here was the final fall scrimmage, an exercise in which Davis caught an amazing 13 passes.

Here was the Montana season opener, a milestone in which he made his college debut as a starter under most difficult circumstances — he was practically all that was left after Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Terrell Bynum and Ja'Lynn Polk either came into the game injured or got injured early in it.

And here was last weekend's Pac-12 opener against California, where Davis pulled off a high-degree-of-difficulty catch and scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career on a 19-yard dart from quarterback Dylan Morris.

This whole ordeal has made Davis and the other wide receivers an even stronger band of brothers.

Lost in the moment and oblivious to his surroundings, Davis later looked at photos of his TD catch aftermath and saw Odunze, McMillan and Bynum surrounding him, all sharing in the moment.

"It's a blessing," he said. "I know we're going to accomplish some bigger things to come."

After opting out, Davis always knew he would come back to Seattle to play football. After all, he couldn't leave running back Cam Davis behind.

These two guys with the same last name but no relation came to the UW together after they were Upland High School teammates in Southern California after meeting and playing football in the seventh grade.

During their college recruitment, there was moment when it seemed these two might be headed in different directions.

Taj Davis had an offer from California, but not the Huskies. Cam Davis was committed to the UW.

"I didn't have Washington at the time and I was trying to get Cam to decommit from Washington," he said. "It was, 'Come on man, you've got to play with me.' But it all ended working out and we're both here, and I'm grateful for that. I would second-guess or change anything."

It's the Lone Survivor with a happier ending.

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