CB Davis ready to succeed at Challenge

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Dallas JacksonClick Here to view this Link. is the National High School Sports Analyst for Rivals. Email him your questions and comments at DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.comClick Here to view this Link. and follow him on TwitterClick Here to view this Link..

It's unlikely that Bastrop (Texas) cornerback Antwuan Davis was purposely channeling Frank Sinatra when he was talking about his upcoming trip to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, but his sentiment was right in line with one of Old Blue Eyes' most famous tunes.

"If I can be successful there, I can be successful anywhere," Davis said. "My goal is to get a couple of interceptions and shut down my man.

"As a cornerback, if you can jump the passes from those quarterbacks you can jump anyone, and if you can lock down the receivers that will be out there, you can lock down anyone from you own area."

Davis is one of 100 players that have accepted an invitation to come to Atlanta's Lakewood Stadium from June 22-24 to participate in the inaugural event.

The camp and 7-on-7 tournament will push all the competitors to be at their best as the entire Rivals.com analyst and videographer team will be on hand to document the event.

It is that type of pressure that the four-star Davis welcomes.

"It will make everyone raise their game for sure," he said. "With everyone being talented and all those eyes on all of us I am sure we will all get honest reviews of our performances.

"It is a chance to size myself up and probably find some weaknesses that I wouldn't have spotted otherwise."

The Texas commit is working his way back from a stress fracture that cost him the second half of his junior season.

He says the injury is healed and he is ready to show everyone what they missed from last year.

"I am feeling great right now," Davis said. "Everything is looking right and I am ready to play."

The 6-foot corner says that the opposition can expect him to be up to his old, physical ways.

"I am a bump-and-run corner," Davis said. "I have been working on my off-man technique and I think I am getting really good at that too, but I like to be physical and showcase my footwork."

As a big corner, Davis said that many overlook his ability to run with the opposition and that he can play like a small corner in a big cornerback's body.

"A lot of people expect me to be physical off the line and try to jam, and I do that but they don't think I can turn and run," he said. "They just think I am a physical player and I am really not. I got the footwork to go with it."

As one of the faster-rising prospects in the country, Davis is ranked as the nation's No. 9 cornerback.

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He doesn't spend much time worrying about his placement, but respects the process that goes into determining it.

"I think it is great to be thought of that highly," he said. "I don't put much stock in it, but maybe once we get on the field and I see it for myself, then I can be happier with them.

"If I am successful and feel like I played well, that is what will be more important to me. I want to be able to show that I can do it against the best."

Mike Farrell's take

Davis moved way up in our rankings this time around because he plays at such a high pace and he is one of the fastest players overall in the country. He also has good size, he can leap and he has long arms. He is coming off an injury, but all signs point to him being fully recovered. He loves playing press and using his long arms to knock receivers off their routes or slow them off the line. Watching him press some of the jumbo-sized receivers will be fun.

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