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Jamin Davis (/mɪn/ JAY-men; born December 12, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats and was drafted by the Washington Football Team in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Davis played defensive end with Washington in 2024 before being released midway through the season.

Jamin Davis
refer to caption
Davis with the Washington Football Team in 2021
No. 57 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1998-12-12) December 12, 1998 (age 25)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:Long County (Ludowici, Georgia)
College:Kentucky (2017–2020)
NFL draft:2021 / round: 1 / pick: 19
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Tackles:282
Sacks:7
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:2
Pass deflections:6
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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The son of U.S. Army parents, Davis was born on a military base in Honolulu on December 12, 1998.[1][2] His family moved to Hinesville, Georgia, when he was a year old, with Davis later attending Long County High School in Ludowici, Georgia.[1][3] Playing linebacker and wide receiver for their football team, Davis compiled 131 tackles as a junior and 126 more as a senior while also catching three touchdowns.[1][4]

College career

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A three-star prospect, Davis committed to play college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.[5] He redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and played mostly on special teams in 2018, also recording an interception as a reserve player.[6][7] He followed with 32 tackles in 2019 before being named as a starter for the 2020 season, where he led the team in tackles with 102 and also recorded 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and three interceptions, one of which he returned 85 yards for a touchdown.[8][9]

Statistics

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Season Games Tackles Solo Ast TFL Sacks Int FF FR TD
2017 Redshirted
2018 7 10 6 4 0 0 1 0 0 0
2019 8 32 12 20 1 1 1 0 0 0
2020 10 102 48 54 4 1.5 3 1 0 1
Career[10] 25 144 66 78 5 2.5 5 1 0 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+12 in
(1.92 m)
234 lb
(106 kg)
33 in
(0.84 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.47 s 1.53 s 2.61 s 42 in
(1.07 m)
11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)
21 reps
All values from Kentucky's Pro Day[11][12][13][2]

Washington Football Team / Commanders

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Davis was selected by the Washington Football Team in the first round (19th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft.[14] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13, 2021.[15] Davis took over as the starting middle linebacker over Cole Holcomb, who suffered an injury, in the Week 10 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. In it, he recovered a fumble that put the Commanders in position to kick a field goal in a victory over the Eagles.[16][17] He was placed on injured reserve on January 7, 2023, finishing the season with a team-leading 104 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks.[18]

On April 25, 2024, the Commanders declined the fifth-year option on Davis' contract.[19] He moved to defensive end in the offseason.[20][21] Davis was released on October 22, 2024.[22] He appeared in five of seven games and recorded 12 tackles.[23]

Green Bay Packers

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On October 29, 2024, Davis was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad.[24]

Minnesota Vikings

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Davis signed with the Minnesota Vikings on November 26, 2024.[25]

Personal life

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Davis' childhood nickname was "Shadow", named after Shadow from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise. He received the nickname from a close friend and partner in track sprinting nicknamed Sonic, as the two characters are rivals in the franchise.[26] Davis majored in community and leadership development at Kentucky and wore 44 as his Wildcats uniform number to honor his grandmother who died at age 44.[27] He was interning at an attorney's office in Lexington, Kentucky, prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[9] Davis is a fan of NASCAR, with his favorite driver being Jimmie Johnson.[9]

On March 28, 2022, Davis was cited with his second reckless driving charge after being caught driving 114 miles per hour in Loudoun County Parkway.[28] On August 1, 2023, Loudoun County district court issued him a guilty verdict, resulting in Davis receiving a 30-day jail sentence, a fine, and a suspension of his driver's license.[29] Davis' case was up for review two days later, but the review was given a continuance to August 31.[30] Davis' appeal was originally set for a jury trial scheduled for March 4, 2024,[31] but his appeal was settled three days earlier. On March 1, 2024, in exchange for Davis pleading guilty to reckless driving, he was sentenced to a six-month suspension of his driver’s license, a $2,500 fine along with additional court costs, and mandatory community service and avoided a jail sentence.[32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jhabvala, Nicki (April 9, 2021). "Jamin Davis began last season off the NFL's radar. In a few weeks, he could be a first-round pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b The NFL Draft Bible (April 7, 2021). "Jamin Davis – Inside Linebacker Kentucky Wildcats Scouting Report". SI.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "UK football announces seven mid-year Wildcats". WYMT.com. January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Rowland, Justin (December 2, 2016). "SCOUTING THE COMMITS: Linebacker Jamin Davis". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "Long linebacker commits to Kentucky". Coastal Courier. July 6, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Hale, Jon (March 29, 2018). "Jamin Davis out 3–4 weeks with knee injury, dealing another blow to Kentucky football LB depth". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "Inside linebackers form a strong core for Kentucky football's defense". The Courier-Journal. August 2, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Awful circumstances have Kentucky reserve in position for breakout season in 2020". Lexington Herald Leader. September 11, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Moore, Josh (February 8, 2021). "UK star is chasing the NFL. When his playing days are done, could NASCAR be next?". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "Jamin Davis College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Jamin Davis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Jamin Davis, Kentucky, ILB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Jamin Davis 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki. "Kentucky LB Jamin Davis taken by Washington Football Team at No. 19 in draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Stackpole, Kyle (May 13, 2021). "Washington Signs 2021 Draft Class". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  16. ^ Lichtenstein, Hannah (November 19, 2022). "Wake Up Washington Jamin Davis wearing the green dot against Eagles is "huge" step in leadership, development". Commanders.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Selby, Zach (November 15, 2022). "5 takeaways from the Commanders' upset win on Monday Night Football". Commanders.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Selby, Zach (January 7, 2023). "Commanders place Jamin Davis on IR, activate Armani Rogers and downgrade Kam Curl to OUT". Commanders.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  19. ^ "Report: The Washington Commanders are not picking up Jamin Davis's fifth-year option". Hogs Haven. SB Nation. April 25, 2024.
  20. ^ Harrison, David. "Washington Commanders Jamin Davis Growing in New Role With Help of New Teammates". SI.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Selby, Zach. "Commanders announce initial 53-man roster for 2024 season". Commanders.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  22. ^ Selby, Zach (October 22, 2024). "Commanders release DE Jamin Davis among multiple roster moves". Commanders.com. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  23. ^ Keim, Josh (October 22, 2024). "Commanders release DE Jamin Davis, 1st-round pick in 2021". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  24. ^ "Packers announce roster moves | Oct. 29, 2024". Packers.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Peters, Craig (November 26, 2024). "Vikings Place Ivan Pace on IR; Sign Former Commanders LB Jamin Davis". Vikings.com.
  26. ^ Hailey, Peter. "Washington's Jamin Davis is nicknamed 'Shadow.' Here's why". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "Jamin Davis – Football". ukathletics.com. August 10, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  28. ^ Keim, John (July 31, 2023). "Judge rejects Commanders LB Jamin Davis' reckless driving plea bargain". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  29. ^ Fisher, Mike (August 1, 2023). "Commanders' Jamin Davis Sentenced to Jail Time". SI.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  30. ^ "Jamin Davis Reckless Driving Case Continued to August 31, 2023". loudoun.gov. August 3, 2023.
  31. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (August 31, 2023). "Jamin Davis's reckless driving case moved to jury trial in March 2024". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  32. ^ Manning, Bryan (March 1, 2024). "Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis pleads guilty to reckless driving". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
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