Cal Defensive Back Niles Davis on Enrolling Early, Learning From Vets

The true freshman from Westlake gave up the back half of his senior year to get a head start, and hasn't looked back.

Niles Davis arrived at Cal early, skipping the end of his high school senior year to get a jump on his college career, and the transition has gone smoothly thanks to some help from older teammates.

“Yes, definitely been a good decision. A couple of older guys took me under their wing, so I kind of like it out here. Ricky Fletcher, Daniel Harris, they’ve all been in the game for a couple years, so I’m just learning each and every day off of them.”

As a safety, Davis plays with an aggressive mentality.

“I’m really aggressive to the ball. I love the tackle, I love the hit. And I’m a ball hawk.”

The overall Cal experience has matched what he was looking for.

“Cal is great. The academics is A1. I really love the football program, so everything’s cool.”

The program’s history was the deciding factor in his recruitment.

“Really the history that Cal has. They’ve been everywhere, so much great history, bowl games, championships, everything.”

Cal’s recent run of producing NFL defensive backs was a specific draw, and Davis believes this group can keep that standard going.

“That was a huge factor. Our DB group is really good. We have a huge depth, so everybody in our room is really good. They all bring something different to our room.”