Grad transfer to drill sergeant: How this Georgia Tech player became mentor to Yellow Jackets
One of the first players to receive a call from Geoff Collins after he was named head coach at Georgia Tech was Tyler Davis.
Collins knew he would be needing a tight end on the Flats — the position was not used during the 11 seasons that coach Paul Johnson ran the triple option — and he was aware that Davis, who had finished at UConn, was looking for a place to transfer as a fifth-year graduate student. Davis had competed against the teams that Collins fielded for two seasons at Temple and the coach saw plenty of potential, both on and off the field.
Now, with three games left in the season, the true impact of Davis is being felt. Sure his statistics are good, but his real impact is felt off the field. Davis has become a mentor to the two young freshmen tight ends on the team and he takes extreme pride in being a part of the development of Dylan Leonard and Dylan Devaney.
“I’m proud of those two guys,” Davis said. “They see how much I care about them. I want them to be better than I am because in four years when I turn on the TV and see how much better they are than I am, I will have played some part in that.”
Davis has almost taken a drill sergeant approach to the two youngsters. He watches them constantly and pushes them as hard as he can. He’s like a big brother and assistant coach, all rolled into one.
“When I see them sitting around for more than 10 minutes, I’ll make them get up and do something because I feel like they’re wasting time,” Davis said. “I’ve been a structured person and I’m trying to get them on the same kind of schedule. They’ve bought in fully.”
Davis has caught 12 passes for 114 yards this season. He caught three for 54 yards last week against Virginia, his most productive game of the season.
“It’s just been cool to see how far we’ve come,” Davis said. “From before signing day to spring ball and the transition to what we’re doing now is impressive to see what we do, how we’ve taken accountability how hard we’ve worked. It’s not about me. It’s about us and it’s cool to see the offense really rolling.”
Georgia Tech (2-7, 1-5 ACC) has two more ACC games remaining before finishing the season against the University of Georgia. This week the opposition is Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-2 ACC), which has won three of its last four games, losing by one point to No. 16 Notre Dame and routing a good Wake Forest team.
“They’re playing really well in all phases,” Collins said. “Obviously really good players, really good coaches. They’re playing really good football.”
Virginia Tech holds a 9-7 advantage in the all-time series. Georgia Tech has won three straight against the Hokies, including last year’s impressive 49-28 victory in Blacksburg.