It's been a happy homecoming thus far for Marcus Davis, who embraces the challenges at Auburn

When Marcus Davis, a receiver, played his final season at Auburn in 2016, it’s unlikely he would have envisioned just seven years later he’d be back with the Tigers as an assistant coach leading the position he once played.

But Davis’ career arc has been — to put it mildly — eye-opening.

In 2019, he worked in the Tigers’ player personnel department. A year later, he was an offensive graduate assistant at Florida State. That led to him being hired to coach receivers at Hawaii. A year later, he held the same position at Georgia Southern.

Now, at the age of 28 he’s landed at Auburn as receivers coach.

“I can’t describe it. It’s a dream come true. I’m ready to get rolling,” Davis said recently “It’s like two fold. It’s appreciation and thankfulness for Coach (Hugh) Freeze, but eager to get the job done because it’s a place that I love. You want the best for Auburn. It’s great, but I’m ready to make it count. My first reaction was dang, it felt unreal. My first reaction was thankful, to be honest. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Davis is seen as a coaching up-and-comer

When Auburn hired Freeze in late November, it was unclear where he would go to find his receivers coach. Some thought Freeze might turn to someone who worked with him at Liberty. Others figured the job would go to a person linked to Freeze’s Ole Miss years.

Instead, Freeze turned to Davis, a surprising move to many given Davis’ relative lack of experience. But in Davis, Freeze saw much to like.

For one thing, it didn’t hurt that Davis has strong ties to Auburn. He played in 50 games for the Tigers with 15 starts and finished his career with 83 receptions.

Additionally, Davis had recruiting connections in talent-rich south Florida.

But perhaps most important, Davis had produced.

At Hawaii, Davis coached all-conference pick Calvin Turner Jr. Another one of his receivers, Nick Mardner, was honorable mention all-conference. Mardner transferred to Cincinnati and then again, to Auburn where he and Davis have re-united.

Davis’ receivers have produced

Noted, Si.com: “Matrix Analytical, a Twitter account that helps in HC searches, staff building, roster management & recruiting analytics, has been praising Davis for a few days now, hinting at Auburn’s next hire being a ‘diamond in the rough.’ He grades out as a five-star with Dave Bartoo’s service.”

At Auburn, Davis inherits a group that many feel has talent but hasn’t performed up to it in recent seasons for numerous reasons. Getting the most from them will be a priority.

“The fundamentals is the first thing,” Davis said. “Before that, it’s meeting them where they are, each individual and getting a true evaluation. My biggest thing is the fundamental part of it. Having a good stance, the ball get off, seeing the ball all the way in, those are the things that matter. Those are the things that show up time after time. It’s all about mindset and the opportunity. I tell everybody, that time goes by quick. I learned from Coach Cadillac (Williams), ‘be where your feet are.’ That’s the message I give my guys all the time. Be the best where you are. That’s when you get to the next level.”

He added, “Spring is going to be a good time to learn what’s what.”

So far, so good as Davis is clicking with Freeze and Co.

Thus far, Davis has blended well with Freeze and Co. He is just getting acquainted with most of his new co-workers, but some — see Williams, the team’s associate head coach/running backs — he already knew well. 

“It’s been good,” Davis said. “This staff has been great. There’s a lot of people that are on the same page, so that’s always good. Recruiting is recruiting, it’s been good to get on the road and represent this school and get the right players here.”

As it turns out, it was another Auburn coach that hinted at Davis’ future in coaching. And that coach happens to be good friends with Freeze.

“ I remember as a player, Coach (Gus) Malzahn told me I was going to be a coach,” Davis said. “I didn’t believe it at the time, you know, because you’re just so focused on the process of being the best player you could be. But, when I took the time to look back on things, now that I’m sitting where I am now, I understand exactly what he was saying. I’m glad I chose this career. It’s been good and the best part about it is, you get to pour into the younger guys that have similar goals than what you had.”

Davis’ return to Auburn certainly is a feel-good story, but he knows for there truly to be a happy ending the Tigers will need to win — and win big. And his receivers are a big part of the equation as to whether that happens as Freeze is known to like putting the ball into the air.

Davis not only understands this, but accepts and appreciates the challenge. 

Having been at Auburn before, he knows what the expectations are. He also knows this is what makes Auburn, Auburn.

“It’s a dream for me, it truly is. I didn’t know it would happen this quick, but I just think it’s a product of being where you are and just trying to be your very best.,” Davis said. “The other part is, it’s a different type of focus because you want this place to be good because it’s special to you. It drives you to work a little harder, to do the extra amount just because you want to be great.”