Notre Dame WR Avery Davis Comfortable and Ready to Shine

Avery Davis is comfortable.

There might not be a player in college football that deserves to be comfortable more than Davis. 

Davis arrived at Notre Dame in the summer of 2017 as a quarterback. The following spring, he moved to running back and then receiver. The following year, Davis was moved to cornerback for the spring before moving back to a role as a running back in 2019 and then moved to receiver in 2020.

The path to the field has been frustrating, but Davis found his groove after week one last year as he proved to himself he could play slot receiver. 

"I definitely developed a sense of comfort in the position," stated Davis. "Coming out of fall camp, I was still a little uneasy. After the Duke game, seeing I could have success against someone other than my team. I had success in practice, but that's not where counts the most.

"When I started playing and found success there, I got a lot more comfortable and that allowed me to excel at the position. I'm looking forward to continuing to grow." 

The 5-foot-11, 202-pounder was not only able to start in the slot on a College Football team, but Davis also flashed his potential.

The Texas native recorded 24 receptions for 322 yards and two touchdowns, which has given him more confidence and perhaps more trust from offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. 

"I think it's a little bit early to say right now, but I think I'm going to play a significant role in this offense," said Davis. "I think my role will expand. It still could possibly be the utilitarian version, but I feel there are a lot more plays to be made. 

"I think I will have a big impact on this offense this season." 

Davis isn't saying he's arrived and in fact, he feels there is much more to work on when it comes to the finer details. 

"I think overall knowledge of the position - this is really my second year of playing the position," stated Davis. "The biggest thing for me is understanding how to read defenses mid-play, not presnap. Presnap, I can identify coverages, but when the ball is snapped, it's harder for me to realize what I'm doing mid-route. 

"That's something I'm going to improve on moving forward as well as top of the route details and getting in and out of my breaks and cuts." 

The experience in the slot will be counted on by the Irish offense, but his experience at quarterback could also prove to be valuable as Notre Dame breaks in three new quarterbacks this spring. 

"Most of the time, I feel like I know what they're looking for in a specific route, especially the timing aspect and where I need to be," Davis explained. "We can kind of go deeper into it. We can talk coverages and looks just because I know what it looks like from that perspective and what it looks like from the receiver's perspective. 

"It's kind of a more clear conversation going on when I talk to the quarterbacks."

Davis will also be the leader of the receiver room in 2021 and it's a position he's not only comfortable in, but one where his words likely carry more weight because of his journey. 

"I would be lying if I sit here and said it was just sunshine and rainbows the whole time," Davis said. "I went through dog days and days where there was just complete confusion. What's going on? Where am I going to be? There was a point where I'm playing a completely different position in the fall and spring. 

"From a comfort aspect, you're not really able to set your mind on a specific task." 

Davis could have transferred, but he stuck with it and put faith in himself, which is a valuable message to a young receiver room. 

"Going back from a frustration aspect, every day was a battle throughout my first two or three years," said Davis. "Every day was a constant resetting of my mind. It wasn't just like getup and go to work. There was something I had to think about and this was probably going tough day, especially when I was playing defense. 

"I'm so far behind the threshold of everyone else. Everyone else was recruited and here to play what they chose to play. That was really tough for me, but I'm excited for where I'm at now and excited for the future."