Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms and gusty winds late. Storms may produce some hail. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
There’s never been anything flashy about the way Ryan senior defensive tackle Mason Davis approaches the game of football. At six feet, two inches tall and 265 pounds, he’s soft-spoken and isn’t one for trash-talking in-game.
In fact, getting him to celebrate a sack or tackle for loss with his teammates is near impossible. He simply goes back to the line of scrimmage and does his job again.
Thankfully for defending Class 5A Division I champion, Ryan, Davis does that job well. And Army wants a piece of that, too.
On Tuesday, Davis announced via his Twitter account that he has committed to Army. Davis recently wrapped up an official visit with the Black Knights and also had offers from UNT, Hawaii, Air Force, and Dartmouth to name a few.
He is the second Ryan Raider in the past two weeks to announce his commitment to a major college football program, joining defensive back Austin Jordan (Texas).
“I’m very excited. You meet the players and the coaches, and the biggest influence for me was how much of a family atmosphere it was,” Davis said. “It’s very far away from home, but when I got there, I was already really comfortable. It felt natural.
“I’ve always wanted to serve my country.”
The Black Knights finished 9-3 last season and made a bowl appearance in a tight 24-21 loss to West Virginia in the Autozone Liberty Bowl. That bowl loss was Army’s first under head coach Jeff Monken, who is headed into his eighth year at the helm. Monken has led his program to bowl appearances in four out of the past five seasons.
Davis could be a solid addition to the Black Knights’ 3-4 defense. As a junior, Davis led Ryan’s talented defense with nine sacks to go along with 78 total tackles. He helped anchor the Raiders’ traditionally dominant defense that shut down opposing offenses during their run to the Class 5A Division I championship.
He is one of eight defensive returners this season and will take on a bigger leadership role with the losses of key players such as Billy Bowman Jr. (Oklahoma), Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas) and Ty Marsh (Hawaii). The Raiders are the No. 1-ranked team in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 5A Division I preseason poll and open the season on Aug. 28 against Longview.
“I didn’t think this would be a reality because I kind of had an average season as a sophomore. But quarantine helped. I got a lot bigger and stronger, and stuff started opening up. I tried to get my body in the best shape possible. My brother [Michael] and I would race all the time,” Davis said. “[Army] runs a 3-4, so they said I can play anywhere on that line. The defensive linemen get to run around and make big plays.
“If I keep working hard, I could have a shot at playing [early]. They like hard workers, and I’m one of those. So, I should fit right in.”
Wake Up with the DR-C: Get today's headlines in your inbox
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Featured Local Savings
Featured Local Savings
STEVE GAMEL can be reached at 469-360-3611 and via Twitter at @NewspaperSteve.
