35 DAYS TO 2016 KICKOFF: Will Davis

William Tyler Davis (b. Nov. 4, 1993) is a hard-hitting middle linebacker who has made 16 career starts and played in 39 career games. He will look to continue his starting duties in 2016 while adding support on special teams.

After redshirting in 2012, Davis played in all 13 games in 2013, making 16 tackles. He tied for third on the team with six special teams stops and carded a career-best five tackles twice in a row, against Iowa State and Texas Tech.

Davis then appeared in all 13 games in 2014, including six starts; recorded 35 tackles on the year, including two for loss and a fumble recovery against Stephen F. Austin; carded a career-high eight tackles at TCU, while he had six at both Iowa State and Baylor; and had a tackle for loss against Kansas.

Last season, Davis played in all 13 games, with starts in each of the first 10 contests. He set a new career high with 54 tackles on the year, which ranked fourth on the team, and also broke up two passes and recorded his first career interception. He set a career high in tackles with nine at UTSA, while also batting down a key 4th-and-goal pass.

Davis also batted down a goal-line pass against Louisiana Tech. His interception came at Oklahoma State, deep in K-State’s territory, to halt a potential Cowboys scoring drive. He also totaled eight tackles at Texas.

Prior to K-State, Davis led Southlake Carroll High School to an undefeated state championship in 2011 and had 176 tackles, including 115 solo stops, 10 sacks, six knockdowns, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

He was a team captain and defensive MVP in 2011, and also was named the defensive MVP of the 2011 state title game. He earned 2011 first team all-state honors from Fox Sports, Old Coach and 5A Texas Football.

Davis was named the Texas Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association and Padilla Poll; all-area by The Dallas Morning News and Old Coach; and one of the state’s top recruits by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and Lemming.

He totaled 308 tackles, 25 for a loss, and 14 sacks in his final two prep seasons; led Carroll to a combined 37-6 record in three seasons; and also was an academic all-state scholar and a member of the National Honor Society.

That last point is no surprise, as Davis is an academic achiever who has earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors in each of the last three seasons, and graduated last December with a degree in accounting and finance.