Rivals Rewind: Vontae Davis

A product of Dunbar High School in Washington D.C., three-star cornerback Vontae Davis was a prospect with a great deal of potential. He began to realize that potential at the University of Illinois, where he left as a first-round draft pick eager to prove himself against the best of the best.

Now in his seventh season in the NFL, Davis is coming off of his first Pro Bowl appearance and is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the league. And given that Davis is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, a college and NFL star, maybe we should have known better when assigning Vontae his Rivals ranking.

"I regret this one a bit because I saw Vontae quite a bit in person and of course on film," said Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell speaking of Davis' No. 33 cornerback ranking in 2006 and three-star status. "He had good size and speed and obviously the genetics were there but he was a bit tight in his hips and struggled closing at times. But clearly he should have been a four-star at the very least. He developed quite a bit after high school."

Being almost 10 years removed from his own recruiting process, there are many similarities that Davis sees today, but also differences that he believes may be a liability for top recruits.

"I think nowadays it is a lot easier to get noticed with all the film being online instead of having to send it out to all the colleges," said Davis, who is in his fourth season with the Indianapolis Colts. "At the same time, social media is taking over recruitments, mainly for the worse. A lot of kids get caught up in the hype of all the attention as well as posting questionable tweets that can be taken the wrong way."

As Davis was finalizing his recruiting process, he took official visits to Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State and Virginia. He was patient, did his research and made the choice that he believed was best for him at the time.

"I wouldn't change a thing that I did with my recruitment process," he said. "I let everything play out and followed my heart. My grandmother and I always prayed and asked for a direction and in the end it was Illinois."

Davis believes that if he currently had a son who was going through a recruiting process, he would give him much of the same advice that he followed almost a decade ago.

"I would tell him to enjoy the process," he said. "It only really happens once. Take all five official visits. Be smart on social media. Don't go to the biggest offer just because it's your biggest offer. Go where you can be noticed, set up for the future, and succeed; like when I went to Illinois. It wasn't the sexy choice, but it was the best fit and decision for me."

During his recruiting process, Davis established a close relationship with the Illini coaching staff and more specifically head coach Ron Zook and assistant coach Mike Locksley; the latter well known in Maryland as a great recruiter. Lockley coached Davis' brother, Vernon during his time with the Maryland Terrapins.

"They are both family guys," said Davis of Zook and Locksley, who is now back at Maryland as the offensive coordinator. "They really sold the family aspect in Champaign. With Coach Locks being from the DMV area, that was an added connection. He obviously recruited my brother to Maryland too. They made you feel at home in Champaign. They got the blessing of my grandmother and that was the key."

Farrell remembers the decision and the DC pipeline that was in full force with Locksley at Illinois.

"Some people thought he'd follow his brother to Maryland but his coach, Craig Jefferies, who is a great guy, told me to keep an eye out for Illinois," said Farrell. "Five-star wide receiver Arrelious Benn shocked everyone the next year and chose Illinois over a ton of major offers and, if I remember correctly, Jefferies was getting some undeserved heat locally for these guys leaving the area. It all came down to relationships and Locksley has them and continues to be one of the best recruiters in the game. He hurt Maryland those couple of years for sure."

As Davis mentioned, when he committed to Illinois it was not necessarily the "sexy choice". However, during his time in Champaign, he did help the Illini to several successful seasons, including a trip to the 2008 Rose Bowl against USC. These experiences helped Davis prepare himself for the transition into the NFL.

"I feel that I was pretty NFL ready physically," said Davis. "The coaches had a pretty good track record of getting guys ready for the next level. The biggest adjustments were the speed of the game; the actual game speed. Everyone was faster, bigger, stronger right away. In high school and sometimes college, I could use my athleticism to beat receivers."

Farrell remembers those Illinois teams, especially the Rose Bowl team.

"People thought Vontae and Arrelious were crazy along with some of the local big names like Rashard Mendenhall and Martez Wilson for going to Illinois and playing for Zook, who was fired from Florida," said Farrell. "But they put it together that one year at least. After 2-9 and 2-10 they turned it around and it was a fun ride to watch. It all came crashing down after that, but they sure had some talent."

Davis also quickly learned that a great deal of the adjustments he would face in the NFL would take place off the field.

"The main adjustment was the mental game," he said. "You get drafted high, receive a big contract and suddenly there are a lot of hands out, people in your ear, and then you have to be on top of your game and live up to the expectations in training camp, preseason, and your rookie year. There was really no offseason or down time as a rookie because you are training after leaving college, then the combine, then mini-camps and OTAs, then training camp, pre-season, and straight into the regular season. It is a grind that first year. You have to be mentally prepared, mentally strong, and mentally focused."

One major advantage that Vontae had with his transition to the NFL was having an older brother like Vernon Davis, who had already experienced success at the collegiate level at Maryland and then in the NFL with the 49ers.

"I have always looked up to my brother in every aspect of life, whether it be on or off the field." said Davis. "He's always been there for me. We are two of the most competitive people out there. Everything is a challenge. He definitely helped with my transition from college to the NFL, especially my first few years in the league. He helped me grow up and realize that the NFL is a privilege and not a right. He's been through everything before, so it helped me learn a lot. I got him on the marriage part first though!"

Davis just married his longtime girlfriend, Meghan, this past summer. Only in his seventh season in the NFL, Davis realizes that it is never too early to look past his playing days.

"I am currently expanding my portfolio right now while I am playing," he said. "Diversification is the key to life off the field. After football, I would most likely get into real estate and private investments. I definitely will also have my hand in football in some way."

Illinois experienced a bit of turmoil leading up to the season with the sudden firing of head coach Tim Beckman. Now playing his professional ball in close proximity to Champaign, Davis is still optimistic about the direction of the program.

"I follow the Illinois program some, but not as much as I used to since Coach Zook and Coach Locks are gone now," he said. "I get to Champaign quite often since it is so close to Indy and my wife is in law school there. They can change things around with recruiting. It's all about belief in the program and buying in. When I came to Illinois, they were 2-9 and winless in the Big Ten. They need to keep the guys from Illinois in-state and get that DC pipeline going again. I think they have a young team this year. But like at every level, health is the No. 1 priority. The quarterback looks promising too."

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