Kendric Davis was plotting a career in basketball until success on the football field prompted a change of direction as a high school sophomore.
Two years later, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is regarded as one of the best linebacker prospects in the state of North Carolina. A rising senior at Palisades High School in Charlotte, Davis accumulated a list of scholarship offers from schools such as Alabama A&M, Appalachian State, Army, Central Michigan, Charlotte Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Howard, James Madison, Johnson C. Smith, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Marshall and Temple.
But it was an offer from East Carolina back on June 3, 2023, that would eventually sway Davis to becoming a Pirate last month on June 15.
Davis was one of 18 prep players to cast their lot with ECU during a busy June recruiting period for the Class of 2025. He had already decided to give a verbal commitment to the Pirates when traveling to campus for an official recruiting visit on June 13-15.
“I knew going up there,” Davis said. “They were my top choice the whole way (in recruiting). The (official) visit just confirmed everything. They showed a lot of love, especially to my family, and I really appreciated that.
“And just the way they treat their players was important to me, not only physically but mentally as well. They provide mental health for me as well to make sure I’m ok.”
Playing sports was a natural pursuit for Davis, whose father and mother were both athletes. His father was a basketball player before knee injuries ended his career and his mother, Sherry (maiden name Booth) was a sprinter at Clemson University.
Even though he began playing football in the fourth grade, Kendric was initially drawn to his father’s sport.
“I played basketball all my life,” he said. “I started playing football in about the fourth grade, but I didn’t take it seriously.”
Davis’s attitude began to change when he reached the ninth grade at Harding University high school in Charlotte. Davis had grown up around the Harding football program, which had won the school’s first state title in 64 years in 2017.
He made the Harding University varsity as a 6-2, 190-pound freshman, working at both linebacker and running back. He saw limited action that season, but a year later achieved All-South Meck 4-A Conference honors for the Rams. One of Harding’s three victories that season was against the first-year program at Palisades (26-6), which had just opened its doors that fall.
Davis would wind up transferring to play for the Pumas the next season, due in part of one of his former Harding coaches joining the staff at Palisades.
“That’s where I lived, too, and my mom wanted me to go to Palisades,” Davis said. “It was challenging because it was only the second year of the program. Last year was kind of shaky.”
Shaky for the team, maybe, but not for Davis.
He repeated All-South Meck 4-A honors after making 119 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and forcing six fumbles. The performance also earned him all-state honorable mention honors from HighSchoolOT.com.
Hometown Charlotte was the first college program to offer Davis a scholarship back in March of 2023, but ECU was right behind in June. Spearheaded by defensive coordinator Blake Harrell and Charlotte native and safeties coach Damon Magazu, the Pirates’ recruiting efforts led to unofficial visits to campus by Davis last September and again in March for a Junior Day event.
During those visits Davis interacted with sophomore cornerback Isaiah Brown-Murray, who played for Hough High near Charlotte, and walk-on freshman safety Keyshawn Jackson.
“Keyshawn is my boy. We played together at Harding,” Davis said. “Those guys helped me feel at home.”
East Carolina has recruited Davis to play the weakside or WILL linebacker spot. He played the strongside for Palisades last season but will move to WILL next fall.
“I’m really good at reading the other team,” Davis said. “The guards, the receivers, the quarterbacks … I watch them for little things that tip me off as to what the play is going to be. I also play hard and fast with a lot of aggression.”
Those are all traits Davis plans to bring to Greenville next January after graduating from Palisades.
“I’ll be ready next January to ball out,” Davis said.
Leave a Reply