Embracing conditioning, Davon Townley first-year growth evident

The welcome for Davon Townley on Penn State’s Class of 2021 signing day page is one part of the story. The second, after a first year with the Nittany Lions coming to a close, is the defensive end’s current bio.

Then listed at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds on Feb. 3, 2021, the Minneapolis, Minn., product now checks in at a robust 268 pounds.

Meeting with the media last week for the first time since his enrollment, Townley discussed his biggest area of development in those months. A reflection of his rapid progression in the weight room, Townley didn’t hesitate how far he’d come physically.

“I’d have to say my strength. The weight that I came in and me getting way bigger,” Townley said. “I’ve been in the weight room, just been putting in the work. I came at probably 235. I’d say I’m around 265 right now. It’s probably a good 30 pounds that I put on.”

Davon Townley’s first-year progress

A late Signing Day addition to the Class of 2021, Townley has always been understood as something of a project for Penn State. 

Specializing in basketball at Minneapolis North, Townley didn’t release film of his first football season until the spring of 2020. But upon the release, the offers to Morgan State and Hampton for basketball were dwarfed by a dozen scholarship offers in football.

By the time Townley, an On3 Consensus four-star ranked No. 206 overall nationally, put in his first weeks on Penn State’s campus, head coach James Franklin was already looking ahead to the possibility he brought into the program. 

“A guy named Davon Townley, he’s only played a year of football, and I think his upside, two or three years down the road, is tremendous,” Franklin said ahead of the first game of the 2021 season. “I think he’s got a really, really bright future. But right now, there’s a lot of growing pains for him because he just doesn’t have the experience of the other guys.”

That lack of experience hasn’t prevented Townley from investing heavily into that proposed future, though.

Steps taken

Reflecting on his acclimation to the program, Townley said his teammates and coaches have been supportive in helping him learn “how to do things.” Chief among them, that demanded an embrace of the work that would be required in the weight room before on-field success could be found.

“I wouldn’t say that they stressed (getting bigger),” Townley said. “I kind of just realized that it’s the next level and a lot of guys are going to be just as big as me or bigger. So I put on some weight so I can hang with the big guys.

“It’s been a good process. It is definitely something that kind of takes time. It’s not something that just happens overnight. You got to keep working. And, as you put on muscle and stuff like that, the running and the speed will come along with that.”

Cited by new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz this spring as bringing competition to the group’s roster of ends, Townley’s assessment of his first year with the Nittany Lions is measured.

Acknowledging that the process has not been easy, nor should it be, the hard work that has led him to this point will only need to continue moving forward. Taking his cues from the teammates around him that have provided a blueprint to making an impact, Townley said his game and personal growth have followed suit.

“You watch these guys that are good in front of you, they’re playing and they’re making their mark,” Townley said. “It just kind of inspires you and lets you know that you can do the same thing as well as long as you trust the process and put the work in.”