In the summer of 2000, you could hear the loud cracks of pads and helmets ringing from that old, retired seminary in rural Wisconsin. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday were two-a-days. Wednesday and Saturday were scrimmage days. Sunday was a day of rest, and then they were back at the grueling task of preparing for another college football season as the hills echoed the pops of nine-on-seven drills.
Davis, then a freshman tailback out of New Jersey, was struggling to find his place on the Wisconsin football team. Davis felt under-prepared from his high school experience, as his alma mater didn’t offer a complex playbook, a power-lifting program, or strength-and-conditioning.