Attention, college football coaches:
I have decided to undertake the role of unofficial recruiter, free of charge. You can thank me later. In this capacity, allow me to introduce you to a couple of players who, for some reason, are still being largely ignored by college coaches. Maybe you don’t have the internet or cable TV where you live, so here's my pitch:
In 118 years of high school football, no Utah running back has come close to topping 3,000 yards in a single season, and now there is not one, but two of them who are closing in on the mark: East High’s Jaylen Warren and Alta’s Josh Davis.
As fate would have it, and for your viewing convenience, they are both playing in the semifinals of the 4A state championship playoffs Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium — Alta vs. Springville and East vs. Maple Mountain. If their teams are victorious, Warren and Davis would meet in a head-to-head slash-and-dash clash for the state championship a week later. I recommend you be there.
Warren has rushed for 2,675 yards on 222 carries for the 12-0 Leopards, averaging a ridiculous 222.9 yards per game and an even more ridiculous 12 yards per carry. He has scored 10 touchdowns in the last two games to give him 32 for the season.
Davis has rushed for 2,550 yards on 254 carries, or about 212.5 yards per game for the 11-1 Hawks. I’ll save you the math: That’s 10 yards per carry. He has 28 touchdowns.
Both Warren and Davis broke the all-classification state single-season rushing record of 2,561 yards set by Beaver High’s Kelly Smith 37 years ago. Smith, you might remember, went on to become a starting running back for BYU’s 1984 national championship team. Both Warren and Davis are closing in on the state record for rushing touchdowns in a season, 38.
In other words, these are two once-in-a-lifetime running backs occurring in one lifetime, if you follow. Not that you could use anyone like that in the program.
Know how many Division I schools have offered Warren a scholarship? Zero. His only offer is from Snow College.
As for Davis, only the three military academies and a handful of FCS schools have offered him a scholarship.
It’s not as if Warren is picky. Ask him where he wants to continue his football career next year and he says, “It’s whoever will take me.”
Let’s get this out of the way. Both players are undersized. In their school programs Warren is listed as 5 foot 9 and Davis 5-10; you can probably knock off an inch or two if you’re looking for the truth (Davis says he’s 5-8 1/2). Warren tips the scales at about 210 pounds and Davis 185.
Their biggest asset: They both have “the burst” or what track coaches call football speed — quick acceleration for 5-10 yards. Not all good running backs have this luxury — see Harvey Langi and Matt Asiata, for instance. If a hole opens in the line, Warren and Davis can accelerate through it before it closes, even up through the second level. For his part, Davis qualified for the finals of the 100-meter dash at last spring’s state track and field championships.
East head coach Brandon Matich wonders if recruiters believe Warren is strictly a product of the East offense — the scheme or system. After all, East has produced a long line of prolific rushers and holds the single-season state record for team rushing offense with 5,509 yards, set last year.
Let Matich make his sales pitch: “The most important aspect (of Warren’s game) is his burst. Some might say he’s a system guy, but he’s better than anyone we’ve had. His first three steps are deceptively fast. He accelerates so fast those first 10 yards past the hole, and then he can put his foot in the ground and avoid contact. He never takes big hits. And he doesn’t have a turnover problem. He’s a good receiver — in our two-minute offense he moves to wideout.
"… The sky is the limit. His best football is still ahead of him.”
There is one cause for concern. As Matich puts it, “He struggled the first couple years academically; not to the point that he should not be recruited, but enough to scare off some. Now he’s made school important and interest (by recruiters) is picking up. He’s just got to get his (cumulative) GPA where it needs to be.”
Warren earned a 3.7 grade point average last term. “I got a tutor,” he says. “I changed my habits.”
Weber State and Utah State have shown interest, but they’ve made no offers.
“Jaylen is very similar to Josh,” says Matich, “and I think Josh is magnificent. Josh’s acceleration might be a little better — it’s spectacular — but he might not be as shifty. Once in the open field, he’s amazing.”
Davis would make a fine slot receiver at the Division I level, if not a running back. He has the skills to handle the same role that Britain Covey played for Utah as a freshman last season. Covey, a converted quarterback, was a spectacular receiver and Utah’s best offensive weapon at 5 foot 8, 165 pounds.
Davis receives frequent phone calls from Utah State, but no offers. Utah coaches have invited him to their home games, but they haven’t talked to him. Grades are certainly not an issue, which is why the academies have recruited him (Davis sports a 3.85 cumulative grade point average).
Ask Davis about the dearth of scholarship offers, he says, “I think it’s because these schools are trying to get someone better than me and still have me as a last resort.”
As for his future plans for college, Davis says, “I have no clue. I’ve got to think about it.”
Email: drob@deseretnews.com