BYU operating again Miles Davis runs with the ball towards North Alabama Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Provo, Utah. After a powerful fall camp in 2021, Davis suffered a foot injured, which saved him largely on the shelf final season. AP Photograph/Jeff Swinger, Pool
Miles Davis was the discuss of the city in Provo final August after BYU’s first scrimmage of fall camp, and we aren’t speaking in regards to the famed jazz composer, bandleader and trumpeter.
The Cougars’ then-freshman operating again from Las Vegas by means of Lubbock, Texas, who just isn't associated to the well-known musician, was so spectacular within the closed scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium that offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick promised he would push returning stars Tyler Allgeier and Lopini Katoa for enjoying time and carries.
“That man is an efficient participant, and he's going to play for us,” Roderick mentioned in a Zoom name on Aug. 13. “That must be mentioned. That guys stands out each time he performs.”
Then Davis did little or no within the 2021 season, showing solely on the finish of the season in video games towards Idaho State and UAB as Allgeier acquired the majority of the carries and have become BYU’s single-season speeding yardage chief.
“The child is a stud. The good factor with Miles is he is likely one of the hardest staff we've. In terms of doing the little issues, and getting the additional therapy that you just want, or doing the additional exercises or workout routines to get the method alongside, he does all of it.” — BYU operating backs coach Harvey Unga on RB Miles Davis
What occurred to Davis?
Two days after his head-turning efficiency within the scrimmage, he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his proper foot — the one which extends to his pinky toe — whereas returning a kickoff in observe. After surgical procedure, it took him six weeks to stroll once more and virtually a month after that to return to the staff.
Unbelievably, Davis had damaged the identical bone in his left foot throughout spring practices a 12 months in the past whereas he was additionally making ready for the observe season as a two-sport athlete for the Cougars.
“It was loopy,” he mentioned. “I really feel like I broke my proper foot as a result of I used to be placing an excessive amount of stress on it attributable to being timid about placing stress on my left foot after I broke it first.”
Davis acquired one carry towards UAB within the bowl sport, which went for a seven-yard loss. He mentioned after Monday’s thirteenth observe of spring camp that he’s feeling significantly better this month.
“I really feel like I'm 100% wholesome,” he mentioned. “I nonetheless have some work to do on my toes, simply strengthening them extra. However I really feel like I’ve totally recovered.”
Coincidentally, one of many different RBs patiently ready for extra taking part in time behind presumed starters Lopini Katoa and Chris Brooks (the switch from Cal) can also be coping with a foot concern. Jackson McChesney suffered a Lisfranc damage the primary sport of the 2020 season and didn’t see motion once more till Oct. 9, 2021, towards Boise State.
Operating backs coach Harvey Unga mentioned Monday that McChesney and Davis are each having excellent camps as a result of each know the offense so nicely. He mentioned the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Davis seems to be like he’s been a operating again for fairly a while, when he has solely performed the place a pair years.
“The child is a stud. The good factor with Miles is he is likely one of the hardest staff we've,” Unga mentioned. “In terms of doing the little issues, and getting the additional therapy that you just want, or doing the additional exercises or workout routines to get the method alongside, he does all of it.”
Whereas acknowledging that Davis isn’t on the high of the depth chart, Roderick mentioned the third-year participant may have a task within the offense in 2022.
“He's actually explosive, and so we're going to attempt to discover methods to make use of him as a lot as we will,” Roderick mentioned. “He's a novel participant as a result of he's a operating again that may play receiver. He can do a whole lot of issues. We're going to use him, for positive.”
Roderick mentioned the great thing about the Cougars’ offense is the flexibility it has, with gamers like Davis making it go.
“We are able to play in so many alternative personnel teams,” Roderick mentioned. “That is most likely essentially the most personnel versatility I've ever had, so far as with the ability to present a whole lot of teams, a whole lot of formations. We're doing a whole lot of issues this spring that I feel are fairly thrilling, issues that we haven’t achieved earlier than.”
Davis is an enormous a part of that plan — if he can keep wholesome, Unga mentioned.
“I'm very impressed with how he has dealt with the psychological aspect to his accidents,” Unga mentioned. “Some guys get in a droop or just a little funk. Some guys don’t come again from damage. It has been cool to see him bounce again, his perspective and his mannerisms. He doesn’t skip a beat. He has all the time been optimistic.”
Whereas Davis’ breakout efficiency was in that fall camp scrimmage, he really had some respectable moments in 2020 when the Cougars have been blowing out opponents and Zach Wilson was rising up NFL draft charts. Davis caught 4 passes for 43 yards and rushed 15 instances for 96 yards, fourth-most on the staff.
He says making the transition from receiver to operating again wasn’t simple, or requested for, however when coaches approached him with the thought halfway via the 2020 season, he was all for it as a result of it improved the staff — which was low on high quality RBs that 12 months attributable to accidents and COVID-19 points.
“I used to be on COVID depart, I assume you possibly can say, and coaches ended up telling me they wished to attempt me at operating again, and now I like operating again,” he mentioned. “I completely like it.”
At Las Vegas Excessive, Davis caught 46 passes for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns in simply 11 video games his senior season. He was additionally on the varsity basketball staff and ran the 200 and 400 meters in observe.
“I had by no means performed operating again earlier than, however I had respectable velocity, I assume,” he says. “I'm not actually positive why they moved me to operating again. Coaches see one thing that I don’t see, I assume. I simply know that I'm right here to get higher and assist my staff out.”
Unga says that Davis was moved to operating again due to how he carried out in velocity and area drills “the place guys are attempting to make tacklers miss” in a small areas.
“Each clip that we watched of Miles, he had by no means been tackled,” Unga mentioned. “He can do this in a small, confined area, he has acquired a low heart of gravity, and he can change instructions nicely. That was an enormous a part of it.”
Unga mentioned the educational curve was fairly steep, however Davis is “night time and day higher” since he first entered the operating backs room.
“Taking part in wideout, you don’t have to fret about go safety stuff and even simply taking handoffs,” Unga mentioned. “So there was lots to be taught be taught for him. You possibly can inform he was uncooked at first, attempting to determine it out. However his progress has been superior.”
If Katoa had chosen to maneuver on as a substitute of returning for a sixth 12 months, and if the Cougars hadn’t beat the likes of Purdue, San Diego State, Arizona State and Notre Dame for Brooks’ providers, Miles and McChesney might very nicely be the highest operating backs in this system, together with Hinckley Ropati.
However Davis welcomes the addition of Brooks and the return of Katoa; The train and wellness main is nearly a junior academically, however nonetheless a freshman when it comes to eligibility.
We're all gifted operating backs who convey one thing totally different to the desk,” Davis mentioned. “It's going to be a much bigger monster than what we had final 12 months. We misplaced Tyler, however we've added extra items to it, and individuals are extra wholesome. We've got lots to supply.”
BYU Freshman RB MILES DAVIS
— Jamal Willis (@cutbackelite29) June 15, 2021
Goes to be an issue🥶
Footwork, Energy, explosive and fluid💪🏾
Cutback Elite Runningbacks🔥@CriddleBenjaminpic.twitter.com/RS2vbGV7Zm