Maryland football legend and longtime NFL tight end Vernon Davis, who will be inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 7, says Terps head coach Michael Locksley is “the one who can take this team where they need to go” and is willing to do anything possible to support him.
Davis played for Maryland from 2003-2005 before being taken with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He caught 83 passes for 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns during his three-year career in College Park. Locksley, the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator prior to Davis’ arrival, helped recruit Davis to Maryland but left to take the same job at Florida following the 2002 season.
Locksley is 15-19 in three-plus years as the full-time head coach at Maryland, but the arrow is pointing up. Last December, the Terps won their first bowl game since 2010. This year, they’ve gotten off to a 4-1 start, with the lone loss being a 34-27 loss at No. 4 Michigan.
Davis believes in what Locksley has going on in College Park.
“His IQ and his desire and passion for the game is what you want in a coach, and he shows that,” Davis said on Glenn Clark Radio Sept. 22. “He’s the one who can take this team where they need to go. I believe that. If you look at some of the things he’s been able to do in his short time with the program, to me he’s very successful. He’s only going to be more successful as he continues to go forward, so supporting him and giving him everything that he needs from my support, it’s just something that I’m really proud to be a part of.”
Locksley began to recruit Davis when the future Pro Bowl tight end was in 10th grade at Dunbar High School in D.C. Davis picked Maryland because he fell in love with the school and football program and wanted to stay close to home.
Though Locksley departed for Florida before Davis played a down for the Terps, Davis contributed to one of the best stretches in Maryland football history. The Terps won 31 games from 2001-2003, including 10 in 2003, Davis’ freshman season.
Davis’ best season came in 2005, when he caught 51 passes for 871 yards and six touchdowns. That production, combined with his legendary strength and athleticism, catapulted him to the top of the first round the following spring. Davis ended up catching 583 passes for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns during 14 NFL seasons.
It all started at Maryland.
“I wouldn’t be who I am or achieving any of the things that I’ve achieved without going to the University of Maryland,” Davis said. “They supported me. They were there for me. I think about those days where I didn’t want to go to study hall, I didn’t feel like going to class, but they set us up for success where they put good people in our lives to make sure that we did the things that we were supposed to do when it comes to school as well as being a great human being. Without that, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
Davis still feels a connection to Maryland. He is now involved in The Best is Ahead Foundation, an NIL collective for Terps football players “that is geared to provide benefits to non-profit organizations. Student-athletes will leverage their name, image, and likeness to promote and benefit these charities, bringing increased visibility and participation that would not have existed otherwise,” according to a release.
Davis said he didn’t understand how to work with the community until he got to San Francisco. He explained that he opened an art gallery in which local artists could showcase their work. If the paintings were sold, the proceeds were split between the Vernon Davis Foundation and the artists themselves.
As such, Davis likes the direction of The Best is Ahead Foundation.
“I think what they’re showing guys is, ‘Hey, this is the way — being benevolent, giving back, being compassionate — because there’s a lot of people out in the community, in this world that want to be what you are but they can’t and they need that extra push,” Davis said. “You being out in the community and giving them a helping hand, that’s one thing, but your energy is infectious. It can inspire and push them to heights they’ve never imagined. That’s what they’re doing.”
For more from Davis, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox and Courtesy of Maryland Athletics