Husky Roster Review: Elinneus Davis Flips Switch, Makes His Move

The improvement of the young defensive tackle during spring ball was notable.

Elinneus Davis was one of the surprise UW players in spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Elinneus Davis had never been on an airplane until he traveled to Seattle for his University of Washington football recruiting visit in June 2022, a trip that began in his Minnesota hometown of Moorhead, which actually sits in the Fargo, North Dakota, suburbs that straddle the state line.

Making matters more unnerving, the young defensive tackle had to deal with inclement weather on his maiden flight.

“I was definitely scared because it was also raining, so I thought the plane was going to slide all over the place," Davis told KVRR-TV in Fargo. "But I had someone there to help me through it and, to be honest, it was awesome.”

Football life has been a similar adjustment period for this young Husky player, who just this past winter became much more worldly by boarding chartered jets with his teammates bound for the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and the CFP national championship game in Houston.

Since then, Davis has dedicated himself to becoming a much more serious football player, something he promised would happen while standing in the Superdome in Louisiana.

"This offseason is going to determine whether I play or not, to be honest," Davis said.

Elinneus Davis had a productive spring for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

Remaking his body, the 6-foot-2, 309-pound Davis looked like a completely different player as a redshirt freshman during spring football, much more streamlined and muscular after lowering his weight from 322 pounds.

His physical transformation might have been more pronounced than anyone else holding down a spot on the 109-player Husky roster. In late December, he didn't try to sugarcoat anything when he considered the challenge ahead.

"[I need] everything, to be honest," Davis said. "I feel I have a lot of room to grow, in my opinion. I feel like I have to reach that level."

During spring ball, Davis spent most of the 15 practices running with the No. 2 Husky defense. He looked far more athletic than the somewhat pudgy first-year player that he was. One day came out of the tunnel skipping across the artificial turf, looking eager to get started. On another, he dropped down and said a prayer, covering all bases.

He became increasingly more visible as spring played out. He showed good mobility by hauling down speedy freshman running back Adam Mohammed. He swatted down a pass from freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. at the line of scrimmage. He got through on a pass rush to make Williams throw an off-target ball. He sat on a sideline bench and lent encouragement to injured edge rusher Zach Durfee., taking a leadership role.

"I definitely don't want to be handed anything," Davis said of his team advancement. "I'm definitely going to work for it. If I deserve it, I'll hopefully get it."

Husky defensive tackle are Jayvon Parker (94), Sebastian Valdez (50), the departed Bradley McGannon (97) and Elinneus Davis (90). / Skylar Lin Visuals

ELINNEUS DAVIS FILE

What he's done: Davis was one of the Midwest finds for Kalen DeBoer's staff, a 3-star recruit who picked the Huskies over the Big Ten's Minnesota and Illinois, plus Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and Vanderbilt. He initially enrolled early in 2022 and arrived in Montlake injured for spring ball and had to watch multiple practices. He didn't appear in a game as a freshman. He began his physical transformation after Jedd Fisch's coaches were in place.

Starter or not: Whereas he initially might have looked like a long-term project, Davis appears much more fit and defined, and probably on a steady track to become a starter someday, maybe as soon as 2025. Meantime, he should get on the field on game day this fall. And he can count on a lot of flights to the Big Ten, bringing him close to home.

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