Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“That’s what we look for” — Davis thriving after long journey to Murfreesboro
10/27/2021 5:30:00 PM | Football
The sophomore linebacker played for top high school and junior college programs, and now is making an early impact for the Blue Raiders
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Jurriente Davis has a lot of pride in where he's from. Ask him about Dudley High School, his alma mater right in the heart of Greensboro, North Carolina, and his eyes light up as he remembers his teammates, his team's state title his sophomore year, and especially his coaches.
"I want to give a shoutout to my old head coach, Coach (Steven) Davis, that's my guy," Davis (no relation) said. "He helped get me scholarships and got me to junior college. When I went to Dudley, it changed my whole life," Davis said. "It's just a hard, tough high school, and I loved it there. I miss it."
Davis is just one of many former "Dboyz" to make it at the Division I level. There's Hendon Hooker, one of the top quarterbacks at Tennessee this season. Peyton Page (Clemson) and Myles Murphy (UNC), two of the top defensive line recruits in recent years in the ACC. Myles Berry, a linebacker at East Carolina, and DJ Crossen, a defensive back at NC A&T.
But Dudley is just one of Davis' stops on the football journey that led him to Middle Tennessee, where he's third on the team in tackles (46.0 total) through seven games this season. The Hutchinson Community College transfer entered the program later than many of his peers, only enrolling in the middle of the summer thanks to Hutchinson playing a spring schedule in 2021, but made an instant impact through his work ethic, his time learning off the field, and his talent on the field, to secure a starting job at SAM linebacker for the Blue Raiders' season opener.
"He's got great instinct, and then you couple that with his work ethic, spending a lot of time in the film room," linebackers coach Siriki Diabate said. "He took ownership of that and made that who he is and who he wanted to be."
Davis ended up at Hutchinson, one of the top junior college programs in the state of Kansas, after earning a berth to the Shrine Bowl, a high school all-star game for the best seniors in the state of North Carolina. Despite 94 total tackles as a senior at Dudley, Davis thought he was going "nowhere" to play college ball until after that game, when the linebackers coach at Hutchinson offered him a spot on the team.
It was an adjustment for Davis, dealing with the crazy weather that can happen in the Sunflower State. Not to mention COVID affecting his second year on the Blue Dragons. But in the shortened season, he was second on the team in tackles, as Hutchinson went 8-0 en route to a NJCAA national championship.
That year's tape, coupled with his excellent freshman year, is what led recruiting coordinator Dustin Royston to be the first coach to reach out to Davis from MT.
"The biggest thing that stood out for us was his tape," Royston said. "Those guys, getting to play for a national title, had a lot of tape, even for an abbreviated season. But the biggest thing for him was his ability to run, to strike and hit, and that's what we look for in our linebackers."
Of course, Davis had plenty of other suitors too from around the FCS and Group of 5 in particular. But it was his connection with Diabate, a JuCo product himself, that sealed the deal and made Davis want to be a Blue Raider.
"He was just being honest, being real with me," Davis said. "Telling me 'like look, Jurriente, if you do your job, your time is going to be here, your time is coming.'"
Coming into the program after spring ball, into a deep linebacker room filled with veterans, playing time was never a given for Davis. But he quickly made an impression on the coaching staff, asking for extra time in the meeting rooms, spending extra time in the film room before and after practice, just trying to get his mind around the defense.
"For our defense, especially our linebackers, there's a lot put on their plate," Royston said. "For him to come in and learn that and play right away, it's awesome for him. It's just a testament to his character. Because it just shows he's dedicated to playing and achieving his goals and doing what needs to be done, not only on the field, but off the field so he can do what he needs to in the meeting room."
Linebackers in Scott Shafer's defensive scheme are often called upon to read the "keys" of the offense and react accordingly. It's an effective system when it's working well, allowing linebackers to cover RPOs, option runs and pass dropbacks with equal efficiency. But it is something that takes a while to get up to master, particularly at the speed in which Diabate wants his linebackers to operate.
But both Royston and Diabate said that Davis has improved by leaps and bounds on that front since his arrival in the summer. And the results clearly show on the field, where he's been a rock for a linebacker unit that has fought through injuries all season so far.
Davis has a lot of pride in where he's come from, but that's because he knows each is just another chance to impress, to show his talent on the next stage. And with his work ethic, his character, and the support of his teammates, he knows he can make the most of the chance that's in front of him.
"I was excited, still am excited," Davis said of joining Middle Tennessee. "I just took it as an opportunity to showcase my talent in front of the world, just be a better team player. If I do my job, everything is going to fall in place."
"I want to give a shoutout to my old head coach, Coach (Steven) Davis, that's my guy," Davis (no relation) said. "He helped get me scholarships and got me to junior college. When I went to Dudley, it changed my whole life," Davis said. "It's just a hard, tough high school, and I loved it there. I miss it."
Davis is just one of many former "Dboyz" to make it at the Division I level. There's Hendon Hooker, one of the top quarterbacks at Tennessee this season. Peyton Page (Clemson) and Myles Murphy (UNC), two of the top defensive line recruits in recent years in the ACC. Myles Berry, a linebacker at East Carolina, and DJ Crossen, a defensive back at NC A&T.
But Dudley is just one of Davis' stops on the football journey that led him to Middle Tennessee, where he's third on the team in tackles (46.0 total) through seven games this season. The Hutchinson Community College transfer entered the program later than many of his peers, only enrolling in the middle of the summer thanks to Hutchinson playing a spring schedule in 2021, but made an instant impact through his work ethic, his time learning off the field, and his talent on the field, to secure a starting job at SAM linebacker for the Blue Raiders' season opener.
"He's got great instinct, and then you couple that with his work ethic, spending a lot of time in the film room," linebackers coach Siriki Diabate said. "He took ownership of that and made that who he is and who he wanted to be."
Davis ended up at Hutchinson, one of the top junior college programs in the state of Kansas, after earning a berth to the Shrine Bowl, a high school all-star game for the best seniors in the state of North Carolina. Despite 94 total tackles as a senior at Dudley, Davis thought he was going "nowhere" to play college ball until after that game, when the linebackers coach at Hutchinson offered him a spot on the team.
It was an adjustment for Davis, dealing with the crazy weather that can happen in the Sunflower State. Not to mention COVID affecting his second year on the Blue Dragons. But in the shortened season, he was second on the team in tackles, as Hutchinson went 8-0 en route to a NJCAA national championship.
That year's tape, coupled with his excellent freshman year, is what led recruiting coordinator Dustin Royston to be the first coach to reach out to Davis from MT.
"The biggest thing that stood out for us was his tape," Royston said. "Those guys, getting to play for a national title, had a lot of tape, even for an abbreviated season. But the biggest thing for him was his ability to run, to strike and hit, and that's what we look for in our linebackers."
Of course, Davis had plenty of other suitors too from around the FCS and Group of 5 in particular. But it was his connection with Diabate, a JuCo product himself, that sealed the deal and made Davis want to be a Blue Raider.
"He was just being honest, being real with me," Davis said. "Telling me 'like look, Jurriente, if you do your job, your time is going to be here, your time is coming.'"
Coming into the program after spring ball, into a deep linebacker room filled with veterans, playing time was never a given for Davis. But he quickly made an impression on the coaching staff, asking for extra time in the meeting rooms, spending extra time in the film room before and after practice, just trying to get his mind around the defense.
"For our defense, especially our linebackers, there's a lot put on their plate," Royston said. "For him to come in and learn that and play right away, it's awesome for him. It's just a testament to his character. Because it just shows he's dedicated to playing and achieving his goals and doing what needs to be done, not only on the field, but off the field so he can do what he needs to in the meeting room."
Linebackers in Scott Shafer's defensive scheme are often called upon to read the "keys" of the offense and react accordingly. It's an effective system when it's working well, allowing linebackers to cover RPOs, option runs and pass dropbacks with equal efficiency. But it is something that takes a while to get up to master, particularly at the speed in which Diabate wants his linebackers to operate.
But both Royston and Diabate said that Davis has improved by leaps and bounds on that front since his arrival in the summer. And the results clearly show on the field, where he's been a rock for a linebacker unit that has fought through injuries all season so far.
Davis has a lot of pride in where he's come from, but that's because he knows each is just another chance to impress, to show his talent on the next stage. And with his work ethic, his character, and the support of his teammates, he knows he can make the most of the chance that's in front of him.
"I was excited, still am excited," Davis said of joining Middle Tennessee. "I just took it as an opportunity to showcase my talent in front of the world, just be a better team player. If I do my job, everything is going to fall in place."
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