For Carlos Davis, track and field has always been something that has come easy for him. In high school, Davis had the No. 1 mark nationally in the discus at 214-4.
When Davis got to Nebraska, both he and his brother Khalil Davis wanted to play both football and still throw the shot put and discus for the Huskers.
Davis and his brother realized the commitment level it takes to be a champion at the NCAA level is much more demanding then what they were used to in high school. It wasn't until this year until Carlos Davis finally took a big step forward on the track.
“I’ve come the furthest in just being professional with my time and knowing what I can and can’t do,” Davis said. “Little things like going to bed early, getting sleep, getting rest, doing homework when I’m supposed to – it’s really all the little things.”
Last week Davis qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene Oregon with a throw of 188-1. He'll be seeded sixth for next Friday's national championships at Oregon's Hayword Field. His teammate Nick Percy was the national champion in the discus in 2016 and is one of the favorites to win it again this year.
When Percy looks at Davis's growth as a thrower, he credits a lot of it to the changes he's made in his body under new head football coach Scott Frost's strength and conditioning program.
“I think the biggest thing he's done is he’s improved his physique,” Percy said of Davis. “Last year he was pretty light and pretty thin – the coaching staff at that point wanted him to be a little lighter and a little faster. This year the team is a bit more athletic, and they are a little bigger. Just that increased strength level is the biggest thing. They are very smooth like they always have been. They are just freak athletes. Just that extra weight behind them just gives them the extra power and boost that they need.”
Veteran Husker track coach Gary Pepin was thrilled that both Carlos and Khalil Davis chose to take part in track the last three years.
The NCAA only allows 12.5 scholarships for an entire men's track team, so any football player they can add is a bonus. Pepin said on Thursday the Huskers haven't had a football player contribute at a high level to the track program since Riley Washington in the mid-90's.
“He would be battling for a national title,” Pepin said when asked how good Davis could be if he just threw the discus. “Of course, his brother is not too bad. They are both really good guys, and we love having them on the team. For years, we’ve been one of the few track and field powerhouses that haven’t had football players on their team. It’s been a long time."
Pepin is hoping the Davis twins won't be the only football players on his track team next year. Incoming 2018 recruit Cameron Jurgens from Beatrice won a combined seven state championships in the shot put and discus the last four years.
With Frost's strong family background in track, Pepin thinks the relationship between the two programs will only continue to grow.
“I’m sure that Scott Frost, and I hope that he comes out,” Pepin said of Jurgens. “I hope for us with the men, we only have 12.5 scholarships. So of all the sports in the NCAA that have a championship, track and field have the least number per number of athletes that you need. So any time we can get somebody out from another sport, that’s a tremendous help. He’s really a great athlete, and very good in track and field. I hope he comes out, and I hope Scott continues to recruit some real fast guys, so they could help us in the sprints some too.”
In the meantime, Carlos Davis is also keeping a close eye on the summer conditioning program that started in Lincoln last Tuesday. Davis throws next Friday, and he plans to jump back into to football the following Monday when he gets back from Oregon.
“It would be nice to take a couple of days, but I usually just get right back into since I’ll be two weeks behind,” Davis said. “I’m just going to get right back into it and start on Monday.
“I think the winter definitely weeded out guys that didn’t want to be here. I think we are all bought in right now. We are coming together, and you can see it in the way we interact with each other. We just need to progress that, and keep this thing going.”
