Mocs' Dakota Davis thankful for early experience

It didn't take very long for Dakota Davis to realize he wasn't going up against high school defensive linemen anymore.

Two weeks, actually.

"When that second week came around and I had to be on the line with my cleats at 6 in the morning, it really set in," the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga early enrollee said after Tuesday's practice. "It's real now."

A lot is now real for the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Davis, who was one of three offensive linemen signees for the Mocs this season but the only one to enroll early, giving him the chance to participate in spring practices. A two-star prospect coming out of high school, he is the son of Antone Davis, who was an All-America offensive lineman at Tennessee and played seven seasons in the NFL.

The younger Davis is still trying to adjust to college life. Mom and Dad are no longer around to regiment his schedule, and he said that being accountable has been a significant change.

"I think the biggest adjustment is being around older guys," Davis said. "I could see being a freshman in high school going against older guys, but these are grown men out here, potential NFL prospects, so they're bigger, stronger, a lot faster, and they know the game and have obviously been in the game a lot longer, so the healthy competition is what I like to be a part of."

He has gained strength and speed from the Mocs' weight training program, and he's only been involved with that for 3 1/2 months. The coaching staff feels strongly he has the potential to be really good by the time he leaves UTC.

"Dakota came out day one and really surprised us," UTC coach Tom Arth said. "We knew he was a good player, but to see him come out and perform the way he did from the beginning is exciting. We have seen him develop. He's got a ways to go, but we're excited for his future. He's got such a great future in our program."

Offensive line coach Nick Hennessey said Davis has already benefited from the time on campus and that the early experience will show up even more in the fall.

"The opportunity to come and learn from college athletics is an awesome opportunity for him," Hennessey said. "We do more in college than he did in high school offense, and he's done a good job of stacking that on top of each other."

Hennessey coaches a style Davis is familiar with, the player said, because it was similar to the way he was coached by his father his entire life. But it was something that the elder Davis told his son - something Dakota had never considered prior to leaving for college - that stands out to the new Moc.

"He told me to make sure I'm making right choices when I'm on my own," Dakota said. "I'd never thought about anything outside of the football aspect, and it was something he never said before because it was never an issue, but I've learned that being on my own, making the right choice is a big deal."

He's a quick learner.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.

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