Clark Lea says Daevion Davis is out indefinitely, not medically retired

Heading into Week 1, Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores had a long list of injuries that they were dealing with. That included several defensive linemen, like graduate student and team leader Daevion Davis.

During Vanderbilt’s win over Alabama A&M, Davis was seen with a playsheet, leading to concerns that he had medically retired. However, Lea says that isn’t the case.

“I don’t want to go there,” Clark Lea said. “I think out indefinitely and being conscious of the fact that there’s no rush for him to get back right now.”

As a senior in 2022, Daevion Davis only played in one game due to injury, against the Florida Gators. In that one game, he only had three defensive snaps. It’s that same injury, a torn ACL, that is hampering him from playing now.

“And what we love about Daevion is, though he’s not out there on the field, anyone who knows him knows how important football is to him. This guy is finding a way to contribute to our program because he’s been a great leader for us. I love having him out there, love having his spirit and energy, and obviously wanting what’s best for him physically and physically long term, too,” Lea said.

“So, we’ll keep going with that, but that’s out indefinitely and I’ll let you know if there’s any further update on him.”

Daevion Davis came to Vanderbilt as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019. Since getting to campus, he has had a massive impact on the team, playing 27 games while recording 57 total tackles.

Clark Lea explained the slow start and turnaround vs. Alabama A&M

After Hawaii played Vanderbilt tough in Week 0, the Commodores welcomed Alabama A&M into town for Week 1. For the first half of that game, the Bulldogs also played the Commodores tough. It was a slow start for Vanderbilt, though Clark Lead did get his team going in the second half to pull away.

“Yeah. I actually felt defensively, outside that first drive where we were taking on so much water, I thought we played well,” Lea said. “We made the adjustments and got stopped. Offensively (we) got careless with the ball on the interception. And too many third downs on offense. I mean, we gotta convert on first and second down. I thought we got some rhythm here in the third quarter offensively. Disappointed in the big play on defense. But it looks like we’re back in that rhythm defensively. So, we gotta finish this thing out.”