Did a search on CaneShooter.com for an image of freshman cornerback Vernon Davis and came up with nothing. (Note: JC Ridley fired over a pic. Thanks JC.)
Checked the depth chart moments ago and the true freshman was nowhere to be found, despite the lack of bodies at the position and others newbies in the secondary asserting themselves and making a name — most notably, freshmen Tracy Howard, Deon Bush, Antonio Crawford and Rashawn Jenkins, as well as JUCO transfer Ladarius Gunter.
For some reason, Davis remains buried on the depth chart and completely off the grid.
As a result, multiple local news outlets are reporting that Davis has asked for, and has been granted, his request for transfer. The true freshman cornerback stopped practicing with the Canes last week and soon asked for his release.
Davis was a three-star prospect out of Coral Reef High School, where as a senior he had seventeen tackles and two interceptions. He chose Miami over Nebraska, South Carolina and a handful of other major programs, verbally committing in June 2011.
Seems like Davis wanted to be a Cane from the get-go. A local product who committed early, a kid putting in the work and someone who obviously bought into head coach Al Golden and staff, never wavering from that verbal, despite the Nevin Shapiro bomb dropping within months of his commitment.
With all that said, why now? Two weeks from kickoff and playing a position where several new faces will get their chance to shine? Miami is ridiculously thin at corner. Davis would’ve seen the field at some point this year, unless of course there’s some underlying theme – an issue between he and the coaching staff and something irreparable.
Should that be the case, prepare to never know the whole story. As UM faithful have seen this off-season, the cloud of secrecy surrounded off-the-field issues with former safety Ray-Ray Armstrong, as well as in-the-doghouse offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, “The U” remains tight-lipped with things of this nature.
Of course the bigger story is Davis – an 18-year old true freshman facing some real-life decisions. Miami, on the other hand, must continue rebuilding. Kickoff is just over a week away and recruiting for the 2013 class rolls on.
The Canes are expected to only sign about fifteen kids next February, but Golden and staff are still secondary-focused, with four-star cornerback Artie Burns and four-start safety Jamal Carter committing to UM. Will another roster spot to go a corner with the departure of Davis? We’ll see.
A dream went unrealized and he feels now is the time to jump ship. Without knowing the whole story, as fans, all the U Family can do is wish him well. He has his reasons and hopefully this won’ t have a drastic impact on his football career.
I appreciate how you always wish those that leave us the best.. It shows good character..glad you are a part of my life..thanks, Mr.Johnson
Thanks for noticing, Joe. At the end of the day, they’re all kids trying to figure out their life’s path. Some get it sooner than others. Some have good parents at home guiding them, others not so much. Still, they’re kids and they’re more than just ‘football players. They have friends and families and deserve respect. Down the stretch got a little hard on Ray-Ray and his dad here, based on how they handled themselves, but again, still wished him the best, too. Everyone has one life. Hoping these guys all accomplish their dreams, be it at UM or elsewhere.
I agree and wish him well. When I was 18 I did not know which way was up and could not imagine te pressure of picking a college from a slew of offers. Sometimes they woprk out sometimes they don’t. If a kid commits and later decides it is not the best fit for him; I wish the all the best even if thay are on rival teams in the future. Thanks for honoring a commitment and I wish you the best.
Am I missing something? Don’t we have CB’s coming out of our ears? We have T. Howard, Gunter, McGee, Finnie, and Crawford. Isn’t Nate Dortch somewhere in the mix? Wasn’t Davis a 3rd team guy? I know we have a lot of freshman but don’t we have a lot of guys just not a lot of experience? I wish Davis the best of luck
Brandon McGee is on one side, backed by Antonio Crawford. On the other side it’s Ladarius Gunder with Tracy Howard / Thomas Finnie both second team. Vernon Davis appeared totally buried on the depth chart.
Allcanes is all fair! Let’s go CANES!!!!
On a sadder note my trip to Chi-town for the ND game was cancelled today as my best friend and life long ND friend my lose his job due to econ. Hope I will see everyone next year in south bend (friend Included).
Coach Golden is in the process of eliminating the sense of entitlement, some of these recruits seem to have. If Vernon was a scholarship player, then he has made a huge mistake. It is reported that the coaching staff did their best to convince him to stay. The red shirt is now moot, he can’t play this season at his new school, and, I wonder how his new team will be doing in a few years, compared to the ‘Canes?
I agree totally with you. At this point in time, it looks like he didn’t want to complete. I haven’t heard his name all off season. More than likely he seen the difference in talent between him and the other corners and said i can’t compete with these guys…smh. He should have been looking at Fentress and saying I can work my way into a special teams hero and get on the field that way. Good Luck…..but as always GOOD BYE.
I hate to dwell in the past but this sounds like Storm Johnson last year. If he would have stayed, the UM offense would have been CRAZY!!! I think its just another case of a guy counting roster spots instead of counting his reps in the weight room.
SIDENOTE….I have been watching the watching the NFL preseason games to get a glimpse of how the senior class and early departures have been performing. It seems like Benjamin and Spence are getting their fair share of plays in the early quarters (SENIORS WHO DID IT THE RIGHT WAY). While Streeter, Fortson, and B Washington are getting mop up 4th quarter duty (MIGHT GET CUT!!!!!!) Lamar MIller hasn’t even made an appearance on the HBO show nor in the games. All signs that they should have stayed at the U. Im sure Al Golden is saying the same thing.
… sadly it’s actually worse as Storm saw playing time and lasted a season. The fact that Davis bailed before kickoff year one — when the cornerback position is so wide open — that is downright frightening. To your point, though, Johnson would’ve absolutely been starting at Miami this year (had he put in the work) and after sitting out last year to finally get his shot at Central Florida, what was the point in running away?
Same with Davis. A kid who wanted playing time now won’t see the field at all until 2013 and would’ve played some at Miami in 2012. The math doesn’t add up.
As for those who bolted early … Miller and Streeter made tragic mistakes. You hope they succeed because they’re Canes and this is their career path … but should they fail, a huge cautionary tale for Golden to share with future kids thinking about bolting.
I do hope the best for the kid, but how do you transfer/bail before Game 1 from a program you said you rooted for, growing up? I just don’t get it. If you don’t play much in your first year, so what? How many Freshmen do at major programs? Not many. Why not stay, put in work, compete and see what happens? Transfers are usually never heard from again. I wish he would have stuck it out and played out the process. To me, that will free up a scholarhsip for someone else, hopefully a stud DT.
Can’t wait for the BC game to see how we look. We should be able to beat them with all of their injuries, young team or not.