From the outside, it seems like it would be a foregone conclusion that the son of Terps legend Vernon Davis to commit to play football at the University of Maryland. However, it was far from a guarantee.
Jianni Davis, a consensus three-star edge rush prospect in the Class of 2026 from Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, chose Maryland on June 30. He took his only official visit to College Park on June 6. Davis marks head coach Michael Locksley’s eighth commitment in next year’s recruiting class.
Vernon Davis played at Maryland from 2003-2005, establishing himself as one of the nation’s premier tight ends. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him sixth overall in 2006, making him one of the program’s highest-touted draft prospects ever. He caught 583 passes for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns across 14 NFL seasons.
Despite the collegiate and professional career his father had, Jianni didn’t have an immediate passion for football.
“I was playing contact football in fourth grade, but I stopped because I didn’t really like it that much, and I was young, so I was trying out other stuff,” Jianni Davis said on Glenn Clark Radio July 1. “After fourth grade, I didn’t play anything.”
“[In eighth grade], I just wanted to give it another try. I’m not really doing anything. I don’t want to sit in the house, be bored all day, so I gave it another try in eighth grade. I started to like it, started to have a love for the game, so it just went from there,” Davis continued.
Jianni Davis met Locksley, with whom his father has a close relationship, not long after he returned to playing football.
“I really didn’t know that much about colleges, conferences, stuff like that until I got to high school,” Davis said. “I started talking to Coach Locksley more around when I was first in high school. And then the relationship with him and my father, that’s just a plus for me going to the school. It’s not really a big deal, but it definitely helps the recruitment.”
Much like his love for football as a whole, Davis developed a passion for playing defensive end. He credits Marvin Brown II, who coached him in youth ball and now coaches at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, for introducing him to the position.
“I definitely love chasing the quarterback, coming from the opposite side of the field. … I love getting behind the line, making them miss blocks so the coach can yell at them,” Davis said. “It’s great, I love it.”
Vernon took a hands-off approach to his son’s recruitment despite his long-lasting ties to Maryland football and the DMV. Jianni believed he could have stood out to any program if he put in the necessary work.
“[Vernon] just kind of sat back on that part [and said], ‘If you want to go here, go there. I don’t care where you go as long as you can do what you need to do,'” Jianni said. “But when I told him, he was definitely excited. … He was just proud of me coming this far on my own and trying to make a name for myself.”
Jianni is already setting lofty goals for his future at Maryland. His No. 1 priority remains making it to the NFL, but he has a more personal goal he’d like to achieve.
“That’s the plan, to do more than what [Vernon] did. That’s what I’m going to try to do on the team, more than what he achieved,” Jianni said.
For more from Jianni Davis, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jianni Davis