LAS VEGAS >> University of Hawaii football player Cortez Davis enjoys walking the walk.
Entering his third season as the Rainbow Warriors’ top cover — and fastest — defender, the sixth-year senior spends his free time at a slower pace. “I like going on walks in Hawaii,” said Davis, who grew up in the Atlanta area. “That’s something that’s different from living in Georgia. It’s just the scenery. You can go anywhere in Hawaii and there’s nice scenery. Magic Island is one of my favorite spots.”
Davis will continue to cover ground for Hawaii after making use of a pandemic-related exemption that gives NCAA players an extra season. Davis decided against applying for the 2021 NFL Draft, where he was projected as a fifth- to seventh-round selection.
“I chose to stay because I felt I had more things to do in college,” said Davis, whose Warriors went 5-4 in 2020. “Last season left a bad taste in my mouth, so I wanted to return just to redeem myself and help my team get a championship. We were so close in 2019, making it to the (Mountain West) championship game, but just not winning. I want to get that feeling of winning a championship, getting that ring, winning a bowl game, and getting that ring, too. I have unfinished business to do.”
Davis has been among the leaders in the offseason strength/conditioning program. He has honed his technique from head coach Todd Graham, who oversees the defense; Trent Figg, the newly promoted associate head coach/defense, and cornerbacks coach Laiu Moeakiola. He also seeks additional tips from his parents. Teresa Davis gave her son his first name and game.
“My mom signed me up,” Davis said of joining a football program when he was 4. “She used to coach me. She coached me in (youth) football and baseball.”
Lee Davis, who played briefly in the NFL, fostered his son’s passion for football, and helped him develop skills to play cornerback. Gresham Park Athletic Complex became Cortez Davis’ second home. “Hard-nosed football is played there,” Davis recalled. “Real rough. But that’s what made me.”
Davis earned a football scholarship from Tennessee Chattanooga. But with two staffs in two years, Davis transferred to Itawamba Community College with the intent of parlaying that experience into another NCAA offer. “I took a chance and bet on myself to find more stability at another university,” Davis said.
After an Itawamba coach recommended Davis, a UH coach initiated contact. “I couldn’t believe it at first,” Davis recalled. “I heard ‘Hawaii,’ I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ I didn’t even answer the phone because it was an 808 number. He left a voice mail and I immediately called back. He told me he wanted to get me on a flight the following week for a visit. I did that. I fell in love with the place, and it’s been history ever since.”
