Mike Davis stepping out of his big brother’s shadow

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 18 12:26:51 GMT-04:00 2011

Mike Davis is proud of his older brother. More proud than most people could ever know.

But Mike wants to make a name for himself, and not be just known as James Davis’ little brother.

He is well on his way.

The Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) junior rushed for 1200 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, and now boasts offers from all of the big schools across the Southeast, including Clemson, South Carolina, Florida, Florida St., Tennessee and Auburn.

So stepping out of his big brother’s shadow – James went to Clemson after a solid career at Douglass and now plays in the NFL – shouldn’t be too hard to do.

“The best part of it is, I can rely on James and what he learned when he was going through the recruiting process,” Davis told TigerNet. “And he gives me advice, and we talk all the time. But at the end of the day, I have to rely on myself and make the best choice for me.

“Yes, a lot of people like to compare me to James. But we are two different kinds of running backs. And instead of being like James Davis, I just want Mike Davis to be Mike Davis instead of always being the younger brother of James Davis.”

One of Mike’s coaches at Stephenson, Corey Johnson, said that playing at a school like Stephenson [the Jaguars currently have 11 players with scholarship offers] has helped Mike tremendously.

“He is not in James’ shadow at Stephenson,” Johnson said. “Being at Stephenson, with all of the talent we have, makes him his own person this year. By us having so many good players and such good competition, it humbles each person to get the opportunity they need and to take advantage of it.”

Johnson, who saw James play his senior year, agreed with Mike in that the two are different kinds of running backs.

“I had the pleasure to see James play his senior year, and see him in person, and he and Mike are two different backs,” he said. “James ran with a lot of power, but Mike is super-fast. He still runs with power, and he has that good vision. But what helps Mike more than anything is that he can see what is coming from the backside, and he can change directions. He knows when to stop, and when to cut back. That is what makes him a great back.”

Davis said that he is constantly working in an effort to become a well-rounded running back.

“I want to be able to say that I am the whole package,” Davis said. “I have speed, but I also have the ability to make people miss in the open field. But what I am most proud of is that I do a good job of blocking. I take a lot of pride of that. My coach has a saying, ‘If you can’t go block, you can’t get the rock.’ I remind myself of that all the time.”

Davis said that he doesn’t have a top five or top ten at this point, that he is taking a look at all of the schools that have offered.

“That is just part of the recruiting process,” he said. “I want to make sure I know all I can about each school. The coaches, the academics, is it a great fit for me. I am just going to take my time, and take my visits, and make the best choice for me.”