4-star LB, son of Georgia All-American announces critical recruiting update
The son of a former Georgia Bulldog is forging his own path in college football. Four-star Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker commit Thomas Davis Jr., son of former Georgia All-American safety Thomas Davis Sr., shut down his recruitment with other schools. He committed to the Fighting Irish on Nov. 12, 2024 and appears to be sticking with his decision.
Davis Jr. is a four-star linebacker from the class of 2026. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound LB currently plays high school football, basketball, and track and field for Weddington High School in Matthews, North Carolina.
He visited Georgia football on the weekend of May 31. With that visit, people started to speculate Davis Jr. as a flip target. Georgia's history of developing linebackers (nine linebackers selected over the past five NFL drafts) and his family ties to the school made it look like Davis Jr. could be following his father's footsteps.
Instead, Davis Jr. will stay with the school he committed to in 2024. Less than three months after he committed to Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish knocked the Georgia Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff with a 23-10 win in the Sugar Bowl.
Davis Jr. has the talent to create a legacy outside of his father's. He is the No. 11 linebacker and No. 176 prospect in the class of 2026.
The Georgia Bulldogs are still looking for their first recruit for the linebacker class. However, the linebacker core currently has no high-level seniors, with juniors CJ Allen, Raylen Wilson, and Army transfer Elo Modozie expected to start. Former five-star recruits Chris Cole and Justin Williams are expected to see increased playing time in their sophomore years.
The legacy of Thomas Davis Sr.
Davis Jr.'s father, Thomas Davis Sr., was a linebacker and safety for Georgia from 2002-04 under former head coach Mark Richt. In 2004, he earned a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection and an All-American selection. As a result, he skipped his senior season to declare for the 2005 NFL draft, where the Carolina Panthers selected him with the 13th pick in the first-round.
Davis Sr. played 13 years with the Panthers, racking up three All-Pros and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2015, the same year he helped his Panthers make the Super Bowl. He still leads the franchise in career solo tackles (789) and defensive fumble recoveries (11), along with ranking second among all Carolina Panthers in tackles for loss (87) and forced fumbles (18).
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