Dermaricus Davis is not a blue-chip prospect. He didn’t start a varsity game until his junior season and didn’t receive his first Power 5 offer until January 2023.
But that didn’t stop Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb from zeroing in on the three-star recruit from Etiwanda (Calif.) High School over the summer, even though the Huskies already had a quarterback in their 2024 class.
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“I had met Coach Grubb at a camp before I even started my junior season,” said Davis, who is ranked No. 562 overall in the 247Sports Composite. “And he said he would keep in contact, just to send him my film after my junior season.
“He stuck to his word and came back later on after my junior season and offered me.”
By the time June rolled around, Grubb and head coach Kalen DeBoer were in need of a quarterback in the 2024 class. EJ Caminong, a local three-star prospect from Seattle’s Garfield High School who committed to the Huskies in October 2022, backed off his pledge in mid-June and reopened his recruitment.
Back at the Crib on the 14th! @UW_Football ☔️ @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/qKabz2CqQZ
— Dermaricus9 (@dermaricus1) October 7, 2023
Grubb, regarded as one of the top quarterback coaches in the country, could have turned his attention to a more highly regarded prospect — one with a lofty ranking. But he hand-picked Davis, who took an official visit on June 24, committed on June 26, received his first 247Sports rating that same day and has since become one of the most fascinating prospects in this cycle.
“That’s the best offense — if not the best offense, probably one of the top two offenses — in college football,” Davis said. “Coach Grubb being the best offensive coordinator I’ve seen and talked to really got my attention.
“(Them) being able to see me and being able to notice me and reach out to me, that was a big moment. That was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.”
Davis said that Washington first became interested in the summer of 2022 when he attended the Redlands Football Summer Camp Series — a camp for prospects in Southern California that partners with several Pac-12 schools.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder had almost no film — and no stats — at that point.
Davis began his freshman season at Upland High School during the COVID-19 pandemic and played about four games, Etiwanda coach Nick Baiz said. He then transferred to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo for his sophomore year but spent most of the season injured. Ahead of his transfer to Etiwanda for his junior season, Davis attended the camp and first met Grubb. The two agreed to stay in touch, and Davis promised to send over his film once he had it. Grubb was intrigued but needed to see Davis actually play in a game.
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“His arm strength and his delivery are very solid. The ball just jumps out of his hand when you watch him throw in person (and) you can’t help but notice that,” Baiz said. “I think that’s intriguing and they just kind of see the potential in what he can be.”
Davis finally gained some experience during his junior season. Etiwanda played 15 games and made a deep run in the state playoffs, which allowed him to essentially play “a season-and-a-half,” Baiz said. He ended the year completing 62 percent of his passes for 3,390 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Minnesota was the first Power 5 school to offer, in January, followed by Washington State in February, Oregon State in March and Washington, Arizona and BYU in May. Nevada, San Diego State and Utah State were also in the mix.
Any time a coach saw him throw live, Baiz said, an offer came hours later — despite his ranking.
“He had zero snaps going into his junior year, and I bet all the four- and five-stars were starting as freshmen and sophomores. He’s not like that,” Baiz said. “I think that’s a huge reason why he might have slipped in those rankings, but what I appreciate about U-Dub and all those other schools is that they just look at talent and they don’t look at the internet.”
Davis took official visits in June to Oregon State and Arizona before he made the trip to Seattle at the end of the month as the only quarterback Washington hosted that weekend. He had already taken inventory at each stop about what he liked about each of his front-runners, but he especially appreciated how the Huskies did their due diligence — taking their time to make sure they had the right fit. Washington’s offense ultimately made the difference.
DeBoer and Grubb inherited a team that ranked 113th nationally in yards per play (5.0) and 104th in yards per passing attempt (6.6) in 2021. In 2022, the Huskies improved to 10th in yards per play (6.9) and 18th in yards per attempt (8.4) and have taken another leap this season — first in yards per play (8.5) and second in yards per attempt (11.0).
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The attack is flawlessly operated by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — the Heisman front-runner and, like Davis, a one-time three-star recruit — and a dazzling group of pass catchers.
“Oh, that’s an amazing group of receivers. The best group of receivers in college football right now,” said Davis, who was in attendance for the Huskies’ thrilling win over Oregon last week. “That’s a great group to be around, a great group that I know will develop and will be one of the best groups I feel like with my class coming in.
“I feel like we’ll have another great receiving class like they do currently.”
Penix had been texting Davis tips about how to be more of a vocal leader after Davis asked for advice earlier this year. On Saturday, the two finally met. Perhaps Penix — ranked No. 548 overall in the Class of 2018 — sees a little bit of himself in Washington’s future quarterback.
“I feel like that offense will just help me all around more because it will be a different change, obviously, from high school,” Davis said. “It’s a way different level.
“But I’ll grow a lot more. And then just going in with an open mind and working, I feel like I’ll develop a lot more. … I’ll go in there and work every day.”
(Photo: Courtesy of Dermaricus Davis)