Taylor Davis ready to move into a bigger role at safety
As KU gets into fall football camp, safety Taylor Davis is stepping into a bigger role on defense following the departures of veterans OJ Burroughs and Marvin Grant. Now one of the more experienced players in the secondary, Davis is focused on growing into a leadership role.
“Yeah, I would say my role is just to kind of keep learning,” Davis said. “I don’t know everything, so I’m still learning, progressing. Just helping the younger guys come through, too, and just know the standard as well.”
Having spent last year learning behind veteran players, Davis said the coaching staff helped prepare him for this season.
“Coach DK, Coach Shelby, a lot of the other coaches did a really good job preparing me last year for what’s to come this year,” Davis said. “So, I’m very comfortable in the scheme of things and how to handle things.”
One of the biggest areas of growth for Davis has been staying consistent and doing that every day in practice. It is something he improved since arriving at Kansas last year.
“The biggest step is consistency, just being the same person every day,” he said. “I know I struggled at that when I first got here, and I’ve just been building that habit. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of my teammates to hold me accountable as well. Coaches. So, everybody’s been along for the ride.”
As a freshman, Davis admits time management was a challenge. He did get a lot of experience playing in nine games and getting four starts.
“You come from being in high school to college, like, it’s a big thing,” Davis said. “Like you don’t know what you’re doing. Everything’s moving fast. So just finding those good role models, those coaches to lean up on and kind of develop.”
This spring, Kansas added Oklahoma State transfer Lyrik Rawls to the defensive backfield, and Davis is excited to play next to him in the secondary. He expects Rawls to have a big year. The two formed a bond after Davis was his host during his recruiting visit.
“He brings a lot,” Davis said. “He’s very physical, very tenacious. He’s always running to the ball, so I’m really excited to play with him. We get along all the time. Like I said, I was his host, and we just clicked off the bat. I kind of found out he was going to be here, and I was happy.”
With a number of players rotating through the secondary early in camp, Davis is encouraged by the progress the unit is making. The Jayhawks lost four starters and the most of their snaps from the defensive backfield.
“We’re just happy to get everybody on the field as many reps as possible,” he said. “Just kind of learning the scheme of things and developing.”
