Pitt Football
Pitt RB, Gateway Alum Derrick Davis Jr. Expected to Make Big Leap in 2024
Since transferring to Pitt prior to the 2023 season, running back Derrick Davis Jr. has only carried the ball twice. He did it just 11 times the season prior at LSU.
It’s been a long time coming for Davis over the past three years and even from the start of spring through fall camp, but the redshirt junior is primed to take a big leap this season for the Panthers.
“The guy that’s really gotten so much better since January is Derrick Davis. He was more of a downhill, straight line, big, fast guy,” offensive coordinator Kade Bell said on Wednesday.
The Gateway High School product was listed as the third running back on the two-deep depth chart at the beginning of Week 1 and, as Bell puts it, will see plenty of action to go along with Rodney Hammond Jr. and Desmond Reid.
“We’ve always played multiple backs. We have to with our tempo. It’s a position we got to keep guys fresh, you got to keep guys healthy. If we’re going to play a 12-game season, we want running backs to run just as hard as they were in Week 1 as they are in Week 12. Derrick’s right there. He’s going to be a guy who’s going to be on the field,” Bell said.
With Bell rotating the running back options, Davis will see an increase in snaps and will be utilized in situations that suit him.
“The game might be a little different who’s in the game. I got to play to our guys’ strengths,” Bell said. “Rodney and Dez are different, Dez and Derrick are different, Rodney and Derrick are different. Whatever they’ve done well in camp, what plays they like, what run plays they like, what they do in the pass game, I got to call the game for our players, not for me.”
One area of improvement that Bell has witnessed in Davis’s game is the work he has put in and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
“You talk about a guy this summer that worked on catching the football, worked on running routes in the backfield. He’s been very consistent. He’s also very smart kid. He pays attention. He takes really good notes. He knows exactly what we want to do in the passing game, which is good,” Bell said.
Running back Derrick Davis Jr. during spring camp. April 2, 2024. PSN
The play of Davis has been noticeable throughout the spring leading to head coach Pat Narduzzi labeling him a standout following scrimmage No. 2 at Acrisure Stadium.
“The guy that stood out to me was Derrick Davis. They got in field-goal range twice and Derrick Davis was a beast in there, playing with his pads down low, physical, hard runner. You better get in the weight room if you’re going to tackle him,” Narduzzi said.
The 6-foot, 205-pound back served as a reserve last year and played a majority of his snaps on special teams. He totaled eight yards on two carries against Wofford in the season-opener.
A four-star prospect out of high school, Davis selected LSU where he would start off as a safety. However, he made the switch to running back in his sophomore season. In two games at the position, he rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries. One of those games came in the Citrus Bowl against Purdue where he ran for 29 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell had some high praise for redshirt junior RB and Gateway alum Derrick Davis Jr today, saying he has “gotten so much better since January.”
Here’s his lone rushing TD of his college career back in 2022 at LSU. Expect some more of this in 2024. pic.twitter.com/M89hvQRCGN
— Nathan Breisinger (@NateBreisinger) August 28, 2024
This article was written a few hours too early. With Hammond now being declared as ineligible this year, the offense will be relying on Davis much more. I believe Davis will capitalize on the opportunity and deliver the goods. He’s an excellent athlete and is a super hungry hard-worker who’s eager to show what he can do. Also great that his roots are local. Should be exciting to watch.