Clemson's message to Mike Davis: "We need you"

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Dec 08 17:50:07 GMT-04:00 2011

Clemson running backs coach Tony Elliott was in Stone Mountain Thursday to talk to Stephenson High School running back Mike Davis Mike Davis
Running Back
5-10, 195
Stone Mountain, GA
View Full Profile , and his message to the brother of former Tiger running back James Davis was simple: We need you.

And an offer wasn’t far behind.

Davis is a 5-10, 190-pounder who is listed as the nation’s 17th best running back by ESPN. He had committed to Florida earlier this year, but recently backed off that commitment and is now once again looking around for his collegiate home.

He said Elliott came by his school Thusday.

“He told me that I am the running back that they are looking for,” Davis told TigerNet. “The visit went really well. He told me that they were in need of a running back, and he told me that they were going to recruit me hard.”

Then Elliott gave Davis a scholarship offer.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, because I was expecting it,” Davis said. “Once I heard they were going to come after me hard, I knew they would offer. It’s great to get an offer from the school my brother played for.”

Davis said he backed off of the Gators because he felt like he had been lied to.

“What happened with Florida is that I was lied to by a coach, and there was a misunderstanding,” Davis said. “It was all because I was lied to. It had nothing to do with Keith Marshall Keith Marshall
Running Back
5-11, 190
Raleigh, NC
View Full Profile or anything like that. One of their coaches came in the home on a visit and I feel like I was lied to. I won't go into full detail on what happened, but as a person I don’t like being lied to.”

Davis said he is hearing from everybody now that he has opened his recruitment back up, and says he doesn’t have a favorite or a list of his top schools. “I am going to major in broadcasting, so I want a good journalism school. I also want to go somewhere where I can go in early and compete for playing time.”

He said Clemson is special for many reasons, but he has one special reason to like the Tigers.

“My thought on Clemson is that my brother went there,” he said. “He left a legacy, so it is like home.”

He plans to announce his decision on National Signing Day and also has offers from Alabama, Miami and Central Florida. He has taken an official visit to Tennessee and is scheduled to visit Florida State December 17th and South Carolina January 21st.

Davis rushed for 1,923 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior at Stephenson. He rushed for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns - one on a kickoff return - as a junior.