He has encountered a lot of obstacles in his football career, but there have been supporters of the University of Alabama that have not given up on him.
Ben Davis arrived in the Crimson Tide’s 2016 signing class with much promise and under high expectations as a five-star linebacker prospect from Gordo (Ala.) High School. His father, Wayne Davis, was the program’s all-time leader for total tackles (327), and fans believed the young Davis would immediately pick up where his dad left off.
The tackling machine redshirted his freshman season and played in just three games combined in the next two years. After seeing him dominate in high school, people wondered what was happening to him at Alabama.
Regardless of what the issue might have been, Davis got action on special teams but saw little time at linebacker. As more recruiting classes piled on top of him, the concern was on if he would ever get a full chance to showcase his talents. Since his arrival, Davis witnessed seven defensive players in the 2016 and 2017 classes get drafted – including linebackers Lyndell “Mack” Wilson and Terrell Lewis. The 6-foot-4, 243-pounder started to see some of his work pay off last year, as he played in 11 games.
Alabama moved to outside linebacker and the tough coaching from Sal Sunseri produced Davis’s first career sack against Mississippi State.
According to Jared Mayden, former Tide safety, he said it was one of those moments where you could hear the pads pop. When he found out it was Davis who sacked the quarterback, the native Texan was more than proud.
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With all the athletes ahead of him gone, Davis finally sees a clean slate and a chance for him to start at outside linebacker.
Per respectable sources, the redshirt senior has been telling those close to him that he believes he will start this season. Davis enters his fifth year in the program this fall and he has the most experience in the room. Despite the playmaking abilities that King Mwikuta, Kevin Harris II, Jarez Parks, Christopher Allen, William Anderson, Drew Sanders, Chris Braswell and Quandarrius Robinson may have, Davis views this as his crowning moment.
Throughout the craziness, there are still those who want to see him succeed.
While a few have written him off as a five-star bust, others look at the situation as him needing more time to find himself as a player and a person. It appears as though he has placed things in order to be an impact performer on defense and this year will be exciting to see in fruition.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
