Davis ready to blossom at wide receiver
Jared Goff knew why they were cheering last season.
Cal’s starting quarterback practiced with his offense on one half of the field, while the defense faced the scout team offense on the other end. Every practice, he heard the scout team roar. He didn’t have to turn around.
“Trevor did something again,” Goff would think.
After transferring from Hawaii, Trevor Davis had two duties last season: to prep the Cal defense, and to make a name for himself. He left paradise to come home to the Bay Area, joining a team with seemingly endless depth at wide receiver. In order to ever crack the depth chart, he knew he had to make his redshirt season count.
“He was doing it left and right,” receivers coach Rob Likens said. “It was something to see.”
Davis, a junior now, has asserted himself as one of the Bears’ top receivers before playing in one game. His athleticism and reliable hands went a long way in making that a possibility.
Davis has been an exceptional athlete for a long time, but his father, Mark Davis, said his son’s size was lacking early at Alhambra High School in Martinez. The growth spurt for Davis came around his sophomore year, and by the time he was a senior, he stood a skinny 6 feet, weighing 150 pounds.
“A lot of the kids were much bigger than he was,” Mark Davis said. “He was a great receiver, but he was small. All the sudden, he started growing, then you’re going, ‘Wait a minute, there’s a bit of a chance here.’ ”
Davis had interest from three schools: Idaho, Colorado State and a Hawaii team that had college football’s No. 1 passing offense in 2010.
In two years at Hawaii, Davis had 45 catches for 601 yards and five touchdowns. When Norm Chow became the head coach and the run-and-shoot offense was done at Hawaii, Davis was out, ready to look for a new paradise.
With two seasons of eligibility and a redshirt remaining, it would make sense for Davis to head somewhere with the assurance of playing. Wisconsin and Cal were his final two choices, and playing time with the Badgers was more of a sure thing. As it turns out, that was a negative for Davis.
“It’s never going to be given to you,” Davis said. “I thought if I can play here, then it will help me prepare myself best to go to the NFL, which is my main goal.”
His ambitions are lofty, sure, but that mentality led to his scout-team success, knowing he could not take a play off.
“That’s what makes him a very special kid,” Likens said. “He knew if he came here, he was going to have to really be at his best to play. He was going to get pushed to the limit and that’s what he wanted.”
Only four FBS schools passed the ball more than Cal last season. The brightest spot on the Bears’ 1-11 record was at receiver.
While Davis sat on the bench, Bryce Treggs and Chris Harper caught 77 and 70 passes, respectively. They were both sophomores. Kenny Lawler had 37 catches as a freshman and Darius Powe added 25 as a sophomore.
“I knew there was going to be competition,” Davis said. “It’s scary, you know.”
Watching video of Cal’s receivers was intimidating to Davis, but it also worked as motivation. The scout team is where it started, but he has brought the big plays to training camp this season. He’s running with the first string and has looked like Cal’s top receiver through a week of practices.
“Probably the most important thing a receiver can do is be in the right place at the right time,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “He does that consistently.”
He’s still wowing the team, whether it’s faking out a cornerback with a double move or catching a go route from Goff, who can just “throw it up.” Yet his first chance to prove the transfer was worthwhile comes in 20 days, Aug. 30 in the season opener against Northwestern.
“I’m not done,” Davis said. “I’m not nearly done yet.”