Gateway graduate Derrick Davis resurrects that old high school feeling as a running back at Pitt
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Derrick Davis Jr. is not dreaming when he steps onto Pitt’s practice fields. Coaches demand focus, not dreams.
These days, however, Davis is getting that old Gateway High School feeling, thinking about the success he enjoyed as a football player for the Gators and a student in the classroom, too.
Davis not only is transitioning from LSU to Pitt, but he’s changing positions. He was ranked by Rivals.com in 2021 as the top safety in Pennsylvania; he’s playing running back at Pitt.
And loving it, apparently.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” he said. “I’m not thinking as much. It’s almost like studying for a test, really. Going into that test knowing what you know and you know everything, you’re going to ace it. That’s how I feel out there. Once my instincts take control, it’s a wrap. I’m able to react much faster. It’s all natural again.
“Before the ball is even snapped, I already know where I’m going. I already know where the line is supposed to be at, where the defense is supposed to be at, what gap they have, where I need to be at, where I have to adjust.”
He transferred to Pitt in plenty of time to start learning the offense this spring, but he said his knowledge then was nowhere near what it is now.
“Before the spring, I didn’t know none of that,” he said. “For me to pick it up so quickly, it just says a lot.
“It’s all coming back natural. I feel like I’m in high school again. That’s really the feeling I really wanted. Before, I was still choppy with my steps in the spring. Now, it’s like I’m running full speed hitting the hole the way I want to hit it.”
Coach Pat Narduzzi demands a proficient ground game, believing as all coaches do that it will open airways for the passing attack to develop.
So, even with Rodney Hammond Jr., C’Bo Flemister and Daniel Carter returning at running back, he went out and recruited Davis, who was ready to come home after two seasons in Baton Rouge, La.
“Even if Duzzy wanted me to play defense, I would have played defense,” Davis said. “I’m just blessed to be back.
“It feels nice to be home, back in my backyard, having a lot of the WPIAL guys around me, just a better energy, I feel. I feel like I’m a part of something.”
He’s back where he enjoyed his most success as an athlete.
It started as a high school freshman when he helped Gateway win the 2017 WPIAL Class 5A title at Heinz Field, 21-16, against Penn-Trafford. Davis carried 16 times for 59 yards and a 10-yard touchdown when he fought off multiple defenders to reach the end zone. He also caught nine passes for 49 yards and intercepted two passes, including the clinching theft at the Gateway 30-yard line with 19 seconds left.
When he returned to the scene of that triumph Saturday night for a scheduled practice, it was called Acrisure Stadium. But Davis only remembers it by its more familiar former name.
“It can be Acrisure, but in my heart it’s Heinz,” he said. “I’m a Pittsburgh kid. We’re going to call it Heinz.”
The competition for playing time among Davis and his three teammates is ongoing, but he credits them for getting him to this confident stage.
“If it wasn’t for the older guys, I still would be lost in the playbook,” he said. “I really give a huge shoutout to the older guys.”
Pitt has experienced depth at running back, with Hammond, Flemister and Carter already totaling 1,793 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns (including Flemister’s four seasons at Notre Dame).
Davis calls the group Pitt’s “four-headed monster,” claiming — with respect to his teammates — he’s the best of the group.
“Other boys may say I’m not, but I believe I’m the best,” he said, smiling.
He even said his pass-blocking — a skill that has kept good Pitt running backs on the bench in the past — has improved.
“I remember in the spring, it was real hard for me to break down, actually stay inside and use my hands,” he said.
Meanwhile, Narduzzi is looking for Pitt to continue fielding a productive running game after Izzy Abanikanda led the ACC in rushing last season by gaining 1,431 yards (6.0 per attempt).
Asked if he foresees another explosive running game, he said, “We’re going to find out. We hope our blocking’s even better this year, regardless if a guy runs a 4.3 or 4.5.”
Much depends on the offensive linemen staying healthy and putting their lessons from previous seasons to use. So far, run blocking is ahead of pass blocking, Narduzzi said.
”I think they can be good,” he said of the offensive line. “Another year in the system is beneficial to everybody. We still need work in our pass protection. Our run game has gotten better. I see the improvement. The pass game I’m still waiting to see more improvement.”