Top 25 Football Players of 2018: #25 Alvin Davis, DB, Akron

Alvin Davis, the pride of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, burst onto the national scene at the Boca Raton Bowl against Florida Atlantic, a bright spot in what was otherwise a forgettable affair for the Zips.

In a losing effort, Davis, standing at five-foot-nine, 165 lbs., put up one of his best defensive performances of the season, accumulating 11 tackles (six solo) in front of a friendly (or, if not that, familiar) crowd. It was one of many impressive efforts in the 2017 season for the rising junior, who made leaps and bounds in his first full season as a starting safety.

The 2016 season, Davis’ true freshman year, saw him take over starting safety duties and rack up an impressive 87 tackles (good for second on the team in tackling) and picking up a fumble. Davis was one of four true freshmaen to take the field in 2016, a testament to his talent and potential.

2017 was when that potential was seemingly realized. Despite taking a slight dip in total tackles (83 total on the season,) Davis became a better all-around safety, racking up two pass break-ups, a tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Those numbers were impressive enough to earn Davis second-team All-MAC honors at the defensive back position. What amkes those numbers all the more impressive is he only started 12 of the 14 games, showing true efficiency whenever he touched the gridiron.

Davis, together with battery mate Kyron Brown, helped bolster an Akron defense which kept games ugly enough for the Zips to win. The hard work paid off, as the Zips hoisted the East division title at the end of the season over rival Kent State.