Davon Banks Is Ready to Play a Lot for UW

The young cornerback was short-changed in high school by injury and the pandemic.

Davon Banks is seeking game time. Extended minutes on the football field in front of stands full of fans, bands and the media. More snaps when everything counts.

The University of Washington cornerback has been seriously shortchanged so far in games played — and it has nothing to do with talent either.

For San Jacinto High School in Southern California, located halfway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Banks appeared in just a game and part of another as a junior before he tore up a knee. The pandemic limited him to five games as a senior. 

Baseball legend Ernie Banks used to say, "Let's play two." This Banks, no relation, forever has implored, "Just give me one game and then another and maybe another ..."

Even with limited game film, Davon snagged a late UW scholarship last spring from departed defensive-backs coach Will Harris and head coach Jimmy Lake who spotted him at a California football camp. He didn't have another offer and was considering junior college at the time. 

Banks would arrive in Seattle with three other defensive backs long signed to national letters of intent, and he appeared in four Husky games while the other guys redshirted.

He still hasn't played in more than five outings in a football season since entering high school.

That easily could change this coming fall.

In last Friday's first Husky spring scrimmage, Banks made the new coaching staff sit up and take notice by coming up with a pair of dazzling interceptions.

"There will be guys who get more opportunity," coach Kalen DeBoer said. "A guy like Davon Banks had a couple picks today and he did a nice job. It's something where he really jumped out and that gives him the opportunity to get more reps."

On a third-and-long situation, Banks made a well-timed break on the football and came up with a toe-tap interception off of quarterback Sam Huard.

Later, he ran step for step with a receiver on a post pattern to the end zone and went up over the other guy's top shoulder to steal a ball thrown by Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. 

With last year's starting cornerbacks and All-Pac-12 selections Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon awaiting next week's NFL draft, Banks had made himself more of a factor in a wide-open competition for their jobs. 

"I'm happy that I'm at this place, right here," Banks said. 

Others in this cornerback mix are three-game starter Mishael Powell, UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman, well-regarded sophomores Jacobe Covington and Elijah Jackson, and his 2021 classmates Dyson McCutcheon and Zakhari Spears.

"I'm going to keep working, keep being in my playbook, doing everything I can, on and off the field, to be those next people," Banks said of the next UW cornerback starters.

Yet Banks can't be faulted if he's thinking about just nailing down some game time first. Maybe appear in more than five outings and find out what a full season feels like.

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