Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Somewhere among the cluster of digital files on my work computer is an interview with Angela Davis, the mother of Gators running back Malik Davis.

The conversation took place on the morning of Oct. 28, 2017. As I waited at the team hotel prior to the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, I reached out to Davis to see if she had time to chat about Malik, an up-and-coming freshman leading the Gators in rushing at the time. It seemed a good moment to learn more about Davis considering he had put together five consecutive games of 90 or more yards heading into his first meeting with the Bulldogs.

The interview never got used.

That had nothing to do with Angela or the fact I was recovering from surgery for thyroid cancer days earlier. She was gracious and shared insight into Malik's personality and football journey, and I was thankful to be back at work. It had everything to do with unforeseen developments.

Prior to signing with the Gators, Malik capped his prep career at Tampa's Jesuit High as the all-time leading rusher in Hillsborough County history. Then, in his brief time at UF, Davis had rapidly established a role in the regular backfield rotation and led the team in rushing when he caught a 6-yard pass in the first quarter against Georgia.

It turned out to be his final play of the season.

Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play that afterward rendered Angela as a consoler rather than cheerleader on what was a gloomy day all around for the Gators. Florida lost 42-7 in what was the final game for embattled Gators head coach Jim McElwain, a transition that led to the eventual return of Dan Mullen to UF.

In the three years since Davis' freshman season ended suddenly, Mullen has rebuilt the program into a potential College Football Playoff contender in 2020. And if Davis' story takes the turn he hopes, he will help them get there.

"There's a lot of distractions and other things going on, but we're all here and we're trying to accomplish one goal,'' he said. "Everyone knows we want the same thing."
 

As the Gators opened training camp last month and began preparing for the Sept. 26 season opener at Ole Miss, Davis finally felt like himself. Once he returned from the knee injury in 2018, he was sidelined again for the season after suffering a broken left foot in the third game.

The injuries took their toll physically and mentally. He watched as others, most notably Lamical Perine and Dameon Pierce, received the bulk of carries. Davis played in 12 games a season ago but never looked like the speedster who dashed for more than 7,000 yards in high school and racked up 526 as a true freshman -- the fourth-most by a UF freshman behind Earnest Graham, Jeff Demps and DeShawn Wynn -- prior to his knee injury.

He appeared tentative, a tell-tale sign of a player trying to regain his form and confidence after a serious injury. He lost a fumble in the season opener against Miami. He fumbled again in a win over Tennessee. Soon, Davis found himself watching mostly from the sideline and finished the season with just 86 yards on 34 carries.

Fast forward a year and Davis, who has added about 10 pounds of muscle to his 5-foot-10, 205-pound frame since joining the program, is ready to prove he can still be the type of player he was prior to the injuries.

For those who have forgotten about him, Davis offered a sharp response after practice last week. With the departure of Perine to the NFL, opportunity awaits if Davis stays healthy.

"That's fine, I love it. Let them forget, I like it,'' Davis said. "I'm ready to refresh their memory."

Davis has already freshened Mullen's memory.

Following the Gators' first scrimmage of camp on Aug. 28, Mullen singled out Davis as a player who stood out.

"Malik Davis to me looked like the Malik Davis I saw when I got here,'' Mullen said. "I haven't seen that in a couple of years. I'm thinking, 'boy, he's really back to where he wants to be.' "

Davis offers a diversion from Pierce and redshirt freshman Nay'Quon Wright. Pierce and Wright are more between-the-tackle runners. Davis has the speed to get to the edge and break away from defenders. Transfer Lorenzo Lingard and redshirt sophomore Iverson Clement are also competing for work at tailback.

Davis has been around long enough to understand what he must do and feels up to the challenge.

"When people go down with injuries, people tend to forget," he said. "That's how sports go. I definitely feel more comfortable. I've got a whole year with Coach [Nick] Savage. It was my first real offseason since Coach Savage has been here since I've been hurt the last two years. I definitely feel better out there, just all-around with my body.

"My whole life, I never had a [serious] injury and I come to Florida and I get two season-ending injuries. It opened my eyes to not take the game for granted. When you are dealing with injuries and you come back, you appreciate it so much more. I've been feeling good running around out there."

With Davis busy trying to remind others of what he can do, in time perhaps it will be time to revisit that interview with his mom from three years ago. For now, I've got only three more words.

Run, Malik, run!