Donovan McMillon, Derrick Davis Decided on Return to Pitt After Florida-LSU Game

Donovan McMillon and Derrick Davis started their path to becoming Pitt Panthers in the middle of last season.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers lured two Pittsburgh natives away from their first schools this offseason. Former Western Pennsylvania high school stars Donovan McMillon and Derrick Davis opted to transfer from the SEC to Pitt and while those two didn't officially begin their second recruitment process until this past December, their path back home began on the field in Gainsville, Florida back in October. 

Their plan to play together at Pitt was hatched on the settled dust of a 45-35 win for Davis' LSU Tigers over McMillon's Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium during Week 7. That day, McMillon made one tackle and Davis didn't get in the box score, but their most important work came after the game ended. The two met on the field after the final buzzer sounded and that's where the first steps to teaming up happened. 

“It’s funny because when we were done playing down in Florida, we met on the field and he was saying about how things were going to plan out for our future," Davis said. "we asked each other ‘Would you ever return home?’ and I said yeah and we’re returning back home. It turned out great, honestly.”

McMillon said he and Davis didn't make a final decision then and there but kept that idea in their pocket. As the season played out and the two still felt unsatisfied by their current situations, Davis and McMillon reconnected and found their way back to Pittsburgh together. 

"We stayed focused on what we had to do at our schools but it was always in the back of our heads that it was going to be an opportunity," McMillon said. "And when we both hit each other up, it was like ‘Yo, trying to slide?’ and we made it all happen.”

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