Davis twins now ready physically, mentally to make their impact
When twin brother defensive tackles Carlos and Khalil Davis finally made it campus last summer, both of them had expectations of making an immediate impact in their Nebraska debuts.
So did most everyone else around the Husker fan base.
But as confident and talented as the Davis twins were coming in as two of the most high-profile prospects in NU’s 2015 class, both were hit with a major reality check in their very first college practices.
“A year ago, I was young, I thought I was ready to play,” Khalil said. “I had no idea what it meant to play and to be in that role. This year you kind of take on that role and it’s a lot different, I’m ready. We worked all spring, all winter, and just getting myself ready to play. It’s a different level, but we’re ready.”
Carlos agreed:
“I always look back at that and last year I wasn’t ready to play. There’s a lot more to it than just being big and having athletic ability, you need to know your assignment and be consistent and you gotta practice. You learn from people, you make mistakes in practice and you get better from it. I wasn’t ready last year.”
A lot has changed from last fall to now, however. First and foremost, both of the Davis’s have added considerable bulk through Nebraska’s strength and conditioning program.
After Carlos and Kahlil came to Lincoln at roughly 275 and 265 pounds, respectively, they now weigh in around 293 and 282.
Second, they both have thrived under the tutelage of new defensive line coach John Parrella, who arrived this past spring.
In fact, the Davis’s said back in April that they learned more about the game in their 15 spring practices with Parrella than they did their entire redshirt season in 2015.
For Parrella, the progress he’s seen from Carlos and Khalil thus far indicates both of them are right on track.
“A lot of kids in high school are natural and can play college football,” Parrella said. “After that you’ve got to learn because that doesn’t work up here. The offensive linemen are too big, too strong, too fast. So you’ve got to learn, and they’re learning to play college football at the Division I level.
“I think it’s all a work in progress right now. Obviously they’ve got to help us this fall and they’ve got to help us here in two weeks. So these next two weeks for them are huge for them to progress.”
