Who is Austin Davis, the NFL Quarterback? 6 Things You Should Know

Austin Davis might be able to finally call Seattle his home after he has in the past few years been bounced around the league, playing for three teams in five years. The former University of Southern Mississippi quarterback will finally be looking to reach the heights he attained while in college and more, however, as a backup to Russell Wilson.

Who is Austin Davis

Austin Davis was born on the 2nd of June, 1989 in Meridian, Mississippi. He attended West Lauderdale High School in Collinsville, Mississippi, where he played both baseball and football but was most notably a four-year letter winner with the football team. In his senior year, he recorded a 67 percent pass completion rating as he threw for a total of 1,100 yards with 15 touchdowns. He further rushed for 600 yards with six touchdowns.

After high school, Davis attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He was redshirted the first year before becoming the school’s starting quarterback in the 2008 season; the first freshman to get the job since 1991. That season, Davis set a new school record for passing yards (3,128) and broke the legendary Brett Favre‘s most touchdown passes by a freshman school record (23). At the end of the season, he was named to the All-Conference USA freshman team before making the Manning Award watch list in 2009.

By his senior season, Austin Davis broke nearly all passing records in the school history. He finished his college career with 933 – 1527 passes completed (61.1%) for 10,898 yards, with 83 touchdowns as he also ran the ball 460 times for 1,375 yards and 25 touchdowns.

6 Things You Should Know about the NFL Quarterback

Professional Athlete Family

As is usually the case with professional athletes, Austin Davis is not the only member of his family to have played professional sports. His brother, Bo, previously played baseball for the San Diego Padres as did his cousin, Jason Smith, who played for teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Houston Astros before retiring in 2009.

Baseball Career

Austin Davis could have followed in his brother’s and cousin’s footsteps to become a professional baseball player after he was drafted in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. But instead, he chose to play football, was an all-state baseball player in high school, and attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a baseball scholarship before joining the football team as a walk-on.

NFL Career

In his seven-year-long career in the NFL, Austin Davis has so far been on the roster of five different teams. He first joined the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012. A year later, he joined the Miami Dolphins practice squad but was later released by the team, giving room for him to rejoin the Rams for a second stint. During this time, Davis got the opportunity to become a starter following an injury to his team’s star quarterback back. He notably put on a performance against the Seattle Seahawks where he had the best pass completion percentage against a defending Super Bowl champion in NFL history by completing 17-of-20 passes.

A few months later, Davis lost the starting job and went back to his backup role. By the 5th of September 2015, he was released by the team. A few days later, he joined the Cleveland Browns’ roster, spending one year with the side before heading to Denver in September 2016. Davis’ stay with the Broncos was very short as he was released just after 3 months. His next stop was Seattle, which he joined in June 2017. He has since that time remained with the team, playing as a backup to Russell Wilson.

Contracts History

When Austin Davis joined the St. Louis Rams in 2012, he signed a 3 year $1.44 million contract. He, however, did not earn any of that money after he was waived by the team who later resigned him a few months later and eventually handed him a brand new 1 year $570,000 contract in 2014.

After being released by the Rams, Davis put pen to paper on a two-year, $4.137 million contract with the Browns in September 2015. About a year later, he was released by the team, giving room for him to join the Broncos on a 1 year $1.25 million contract. In 2017, he joined the Seahawks on a 1 year $855,000 contract. The following year, he signed another 1-year contract worth $880,000.

Marriage and Love Life

Austin Davis is married to the beautiful Heather Davis (nee Evans), who he met while at the University of Southern Mississippi. The couple reportedly started dating a few months after they met and by the time they were graduating, Davis popped the question to his lady, in the most grandiose and romantic way possible. The star quarterback, who had just been awarded the Conerly Trophy for being the best college football player in the state of Mississippi, took to one knee at the halftime of his school’s basketball game in the Reed Green Coliseum in front of thousands of other students and asked his girlfriend to be his forever.

The couple later exchanged vows on April 21, 2012, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in front of family and friends.

Body Statistics

Austin Davis has a height of 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighs about 221 pounds (100 kg). He further has an arm length of 31 3⁄4 inches and a hand size of 10 3/8 inches.

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