Cam Davis Gets His Legs Under Him, Ready to Finish With Flourish

The UW running back is healthy again after missing last season with a knee injury.

Cam Davis heads upfield on the East practice field. / Skylar Lin Visuals

A year ago, Cam Davis was on crutches after his football season was erased in one play with a knee injury suffered in a scrimmage not unlike the one the University of Washington football team will host on Saturday night in Husky Stadium.

Rather than share in a glorious14-1 campaign that ended with a CFP national championship game appearance -- and follow up his sterling 13-touchdown performance of 2022 -- the veteran running back had to watch and rehab.

Instead of finishing up his UW football career on the ultimate stage, Davis was left to deal with everything proceeding without him and then extend his time in Montlake yet another season to become whole again.

The 6-foot, 214-pound Davis doesn't consider what might have been had he played last season, doesn't remind everyone that he had earned the starting job to that point and was headed for only great things when his anterior cruciate ligament was shredded on a fateful play, requiring immediate surgery.

The Rancho Cucamonga, California, product chooses to look ahead at what's coming with a new knee, a new staff and new direction from his position coach Scottie Graham.

"One of the things he's big on is footwork and, honestly, I feel that's taken my game to the next level," Davis said. "I feel that's something that's kind of overshadowed, but really it controls your pace and allows you to really have better vision. That's one thing I 'm excited to see how it plays out on Saturdays."

It seems so long ago when Davis was a true freshman who was sent out onto the field to start the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State, even if that assignment lasted just one play that night in Nevada.

He quietly maintained a running-back presence with increasing opportunity through the Jimmy Lake years before Kalen DeBoer's staff effectively turned him into a drive closer, giving him the ball whenever the Huskies got close to the end zone.

Cam Davis holds onto the ball while a coach tries separate him from it. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Now after his lengthy layoff, Davis speaks matter of fact of turning himself into a pro football player in due time once he's done heading up a position group that has added a lot of new faces since last season.

"it's a cool experience," Davis said of welcoming new teammates such as projected starter Jonah Coleman and freshmen Adam Mohammed and Jordan Washington, all originally bound for Arizona until the coaching change. "When I make it to the NFL, i'm going to have a lot of guys coming in and out. I'm going to be the one coming in and out and stuff, so it's something I have to get used to."

He spoke about how everyone has his own style among the running backs, how they all pushed each other to become more fit and productive, and how these ball carriers all seem to get along so well.

Cam Davis (22) missed last season but he stayed close to the action. / Skylar Lin Visuals

While the Huskies were a pass-first offense the past two seasons, Fisch has introduced them to a more balanced NFL-style attack that only stands to benefit these eager runners -- even the old guy of the bunch, who has a scar running down his knee but otherwise shows no scars from what happened to him 12 months ago.

"I feel really good," Davis said. "it almost feels like high school again, like how we're loose. When you're loose and having fun, that's when you play your best ball."

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