Mike Davis felt burned by Florida.
Now, the South Carolina running back can stick it to the school he feels betrayed him two years ago.
The former Florida commitment was one of two running backs in the 2012 class. By December 2011, coach Will Muschamp had hauled in the duo of Davis and Seffner native Matt Jones.
But Davis de-committed from UF after pledging his allegiance to the school nearly a year earlier at Florida’s junior day. Davis published this cryptic tweet on Dec. 4, 2011:
“It’s funny when you look a coach in the eye [and] see right through the B.S. [they] be [feeding] you.”
He chose South Carolina over Georgia and Tennessee on Jan. 13, 2012.
“Things happened; there was a misunderstanding with the Florida coaches,” Davis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2011.
“I can’t comment on what went wrong. It just wasn’t meant to be. Some things happened, and I don’t want to comment on what happened.”
It’s been two years since Davis spurned the Gators. One team is in contention for a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division crown. The other is fighting for bowl eligibility.
No. 11 South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 SEC) hosts Florida (4-5, 3-4) on Saturday night in Columbia, S.C.
Davis leads the SEC in rushing with 1,058 yards and 117.6 yards per game. He boasts an impressive 6.4 yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns. The Gators have only allowed 16 offensive touchdowns as a team.
Davis was part of a quartet of Stephenson, Ga., high school players whom Florida coveted. Davis, defensive end Jarontay Jones, linebacker Raphael Kirby and defensive tackle Jafar Mann were billed as the “Stephenson Four.”
Mann, a converted offensive lineman, was the only one to sign with the Gators. He was cited for marijuana possession two days before transferring from Florida.
Jones transferred from Virginia Tech to Bethune-Cookman, while Kirby became a reserve linebacker for Miami.
Davis felt hurt after Florida pursued future Georgia running back Keith Marshall, according to several reports.
Whatever the reason for the switch, Florida isn’t wasting any time dwelling on it.
“It’s not really something you ever think about. It happens every year at every school,” UF defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said.
“These guys bounce around, so it’s not really something you think about much afterwards. You know, you move on with the guys you got, and we’re happy with the guys we got. That’s who you have, so you coach them up and move forward.”
The team Florida brings to Williams-Brice Stadium will be very different than the squad it expected to have at this point.
Jones is done for the season with a torn meniscus. Florida’s defense up the middle has been decimated by season-ending injuries to Dominique Easley and Antonio Morrison.
The Gamecocks’ blossoming talent will have the Gators at perhaps their lowest point in three seasons.
Davis is ready. He posted another telling message on Monday after reminding his 19,000-plus followers that he was once a UF commit:
“Never been so eager to play #hungry,” he tweeted.
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus.
Mike Davis (28) carries the ball during South Carolina’s 34-16 victory against Mississippi State on Nov. 2 in Columbia, S.C. Davis leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game.
