Ute Nation Countdown to Kickoff: Vonte Davis

It's another double-dose on day 19, with wide receiver Bryan Thompson and safety Vonte Davis both donning number 19 for the Utes this year. While Thompson is expected to be a bigger part of the offense this year, Davis will be a name to watch among Utah's safety group, as the Utes search for depth behind their starters.

Davis joined the team last season with three years of eligibility remaining, after playing one season at Blinn Community College and earning second team All-American and first team all-conference honors at the NJCAA level. Davis played mostly cornerback for Blinn, and that's where he started upon joining the Utes.

However, Morgan Scalley saw something in him during spring camp last year, and by the end of camp, he had made the switch to safety. In his first year, Davis was an immediate contributor on special teams, playing in all 14 games, while also making appearances on defense against Arizona and Colorado.

Now a junior, Davis is expected to play a larger role on defense, following the graduation of Marquise Blair and Corrion Ballard. Davis had a solid performance in spring camp, and worked his way into the two-deep. During fall camp, he has continued to prove reliable as a backup to Julian Blackmon and Terrell Burgess, and is projected to get playing time at strong safety as a valuable part of the defensive rotation.

Andrew Fronce's take

I really like Davis's size and athletic ability. Even at 6-feet and 190 pounds, he still has room to grow, and ideally I'd like to see him get up to around 200 pounds. Davis is rangy and has great reach, but what I'd like to see from him this season is less thinking and more reaction on the field. It's obvious that he has the athletic ability to play at this level, but there were times in spring ball that he appeared to overthink where he needed to be instead of relying on his instincts. That's something that should improve with more reps and experience.

With a season more to learn from Morgan Scalley and his older teammates, Davis should be in a good spot to challenge for a starting job next season, after he gets rotational time this year.

Alex remembers Davis's recruitment

In 2017, Vonte Davis surprised everyone as a late qualifier, but because it caught many off guard, including Utah, Davis enrolled at Blinn CC. From there Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley stayed in the loop and the Utes kept Davis’ recruitment quiet, in order to not tip of other P-5 schools. Aside from Utah, the 5.7 rated three-star recruit had offers from: Arkansas, Tulane, UMass, and Tulsa—before ultimately committing to the Utes late in the process.