Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis returned to the program for a fifth season and spoke about his decision to return during the ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday.
Davis mentioned multiple reasons for his return to Clemson. While he looks to maximize himself as a player, the pursuit of a national championship is something Davis has on his mind.
“Me, just knowing I can maximize myself here,” Davis said. “Me and Ruke (Orhorhoro) talked about it, that Coach (Nick) Eason just got there and we feel like we had one of our best years, just being over here for one year. And then we got our strength coaches… Knowing all that, I said why not have this chance to go win a natty, and I got the best linebacker duo (Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter) and got guys like JP (Jalyn Phillips), Sheridan (Jones), Nate Wiggins, RJ Mickens, Andrew Mukuba’s back there in the secondary. Why not just go ahead and have one of the best defenses and go win a natty.”
Mentioning the opportunity for a national championship run caught the attention of the media, which led to a big question. Does Davis feel like Clemson has to win a national championship? While he didn’t speak for everyone, that is what Davis believes.
“I would say in my book, yes,” the defensive tackle said. “I mean, we come here, that’s one of our goals. We come here to graduate and win a championship and to leave better prepared as a man. So I’d say yes, to have a successful season, you have to win a championship of some sort.”
For the Tigers to make a return to the college football playoff, Davis and the defense will need to perform at a high level. The 2022 first-team All-ACC defender has high aspirations, but the talent to help his team make the run he feels is necessary.
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