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Safety David Davis officially flips from Penn State to North Carolina

Mug-Shot 4x4by: Ryan Snyder3 hours agoRyanSnyderOn3
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Athlete David Davis. (Credit: Sean Fitz | Blue White Illustrated)

Safety David Davis has officially backed out of his commitment to Penn State.

A native of Pittsburgh, Davis took two official visits in recent weeks, beginning with a trip to West Virginia the weekend of Oct. 25-26. The Imani Christian prospect followed that up with an official visit to North Carolina this past weekend, Nov. 8-10. He’s now decided that he’ll join head coach Bill Belichick and his staff in Chapel Hill, flipping his commitment to the Tar Heels Thursday morning.

“Coach Belichick’s all about the details and being prepared. He emphasized mastering the fundamentals and always looking for ways to improve, no matter how small,” Davis said when asked about his visit to North Carolina this week.

Davis holds a four-star rating in the Industry Rankings. He’s ranked No. 381 nationally and 11th overall in Pennsylvania for the 2026 class. He was previously one of three safeties who were committed to Penn State, joining Western Pennsylvania native Matt Sieg and Maryland native Darrell Carey. Carey has since flipped to Maryland, while Sieg is looking at Pitt, Indiana, Notre Dame and West Virginia.

“He’s a weapon on the field,” said Imani head coach LaRoi Johnson. “You can look and see his playmaking ability all the way back to freshman year. He’s an elite playmaker. He can find the ball, make a play and knows what to do with it when the ball is in his hands.

“I think that’s the special thing about him. Throughout his entire career, whenever he has an opportunity to make a play, that’s what he’s always done. Every time he can make an impact on the game, he comes through. I think that just makes him so special. He always makes a play, no matter what position you put him in.”

Davis is now the third former 2026 commit to switch to another school this week. On Tuesday, defensive tackle Isaac Chukwurah announced that he’s now committed to Miami. That was followed by offensive tackle Jack Fuchs switching to Northwestern about an hour later. Penn State is now down to 14 commitments in its 2026 class.