Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

[redsox907]

"I spent most of my life believing football came first," he said. "Then one day you wake up and realize there are things that matter more."

did you really reboot this just to put a bow on it? Feels like there's more coming (AYO)

[djp73]

Worthy ending for a great chise! Good stuff djp.

SN: If that's what he looks like at 32, we should be having bigger concerns than an early retirement

man almost died, nobody would look vibrant after that

[djp73]

"I spent most of my life believing football came first," he said. "Then one day you wake up and realize there are things that matter more."

did you really reboot this just to put a bow on it? Feels like there's more coming (AYO)

might be slightly autobiographical there

[djp73]

Porter Davis Is Back... Sort Of
Three months ago the former Arkansas coach quietly returned to football. Just don't call it a comeback.
By Stewart Mandel



Three months ago, Porter Davis quietly returned to football.

There was no press conference. No social media announcement. No television interview. In fact, most people outside of Hawaii's football offices had no idea it happened at all.

While spring practice begins across much of college football, the former Arkansas head coach is spending his days on the islands serving as a consultant for the Hawaii football program. The position comes with no clearly defined job description, no public expectations, and perhaps most importantly, none of the pressure that once consumed nearly every waking hour of his life.

For Davis, that was the entire point.

After spending nearly two years away from the game following the health issues that forced his resignation from Arkansas, he wasn't looking to jump back into coaching.

He was simply looking to see whether football still fit into his life.

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The First Call

What many people don't know is that Hawaii's interest in Davis actually began months before he ever arrived on campus.

According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, Hawaii first reached out during the 2020 season about bringing Davis aboard in an advisory role. The school wasn't offering a traditional coaching position. There would be no recruiting territory to manage, no position room to oversee, and no expectation that he become the face of any part of the program.

The response was polite but firm.

Not yet.

Several people close to Davis said he appreciated the offer but still wasn't ready to commit to football in any capacity. Recovery remained his primary focus, and even discussing a return to the profession felt premature.

Rather than closing the door entirely, Davis offered a simple response.

"We'll talk in January."

When Hawaii reached out again after the season, the conversation felt different.

The pressure was gone. The expectations were minimal. For the first time since stepping away from Arkansas, Davis found himself genuinely interested in the possibility.

Three months later, he was on campus.

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A Job Without a Job Description

Ask three people within the Hawaii football program what Porter Davis actually does and you'll probably receive three different answers.

That's by design.

The position was intentionally created without rigid responsibilities. Some days Davis spends hours breaking down film with coaches. Other days he's simply another set of experienced eyes watching practice.

He's offered suggestions regarding defensive schemes, introduced several practice drills he used during his time at Louisiana and Arkansas, and has occasionally assisted with recruiting evaluations when asked.

One staff member joked that Davis has become football's version of a Swiss Army knife.

"If we need something, we ask him," the staffer said. "Sometimes he helps. Sometimes he tells us we're overthinking it."

The arrangement works because nobody is trying to force Davis back into the profession he left behind.

This isn't a coordinator position disguised as a consulting role.

It's an opportunity to ease back into football.

To dip a toe into the water instead of diving headfirst into the deep end.

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The McAlary Connection

Of all the projects Davis has become involved with since arriving in Honolulu, none has been more visible than Hawaii's pursuit of Louisiana graduate transfer quarterback Jordan McAlary.

The connection runs deeper than football.

McAlary was Davis' starting quarterback during Louisiana's breakthrough 2017 season. Operating in the Cajuns' new-look Air Raid offense, McAlary threw for a school-record 4,414 yards and 28 touchdowns while helping guide the program to another conference championship.

Unfortunately, their time together proved brief.

Davis departed Louisiana following the controversy that surrounded his exit from Lafayette, and McAlary's career quickly took an unfortunate turn. A broken wrist limited him to just two games in 2018. Another injury ended his 2019 season after only three appearances. He then elected to sit out the 2020 COVID season entirely.

By the time Hawaii entered the picture, McAlary's once-promising career appeared to be at a crossroads.

Several sources within the program said Davis became one of the strongest advocates for pursuing the veteran quarterback. He understood both McAlary's talent and his circumstances better than anyone.

The result was a reunion few people could have predicted several years ago.

For a coach who spent much of the last two years away from football entirely, helping a former player find a second chance felt like an appropriate place to start.

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Why Hawaii Made Sense

In many ways, Hawaii feels like the perfect place for this version of Porter Davis.

The islands provide something few jobs in football can offer: distance. Not simply geographic distance from the SEC and the pressure cooker of major college football, but emotional distance as well.

There are no expectations for Davis to rescue a program. No pressure to become a head coach again. No endless speculation about championships and contract extensions.

Sources within the Hawaii program say Davis was careful from the beginning about defining what he wanted this opportunity to be. He was not looking for a stepping stone back into coaching. He was not searching for a path to another head coaching job.

What Davis missed wasn't the politics, the recruiting battles, or the pressure that came with running a major program. What he missed was football itself—the film study, the strategy, the conversations with coaches, and the game that had been at the center of his life for so long.

The consultant role offered exactly that balance.

"He still loves studying the game," one Hawaii staff member said. "He still loves talking football. He just doesn't need football to be his entire life anymore."

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A One-Year Experiment

The arrangement between Davis and Hawaii is intentionally simple.

The agreement runs through the 2021 season, and both sides can walk away afterward without hard feelings, obligations, or expectations.

Nobody is viewing this as a long-term commitment.

Nobody is discussing future promotions.

Nobody is talking about head coaching opportunities.

For Davis, that flexibility was essential.

Several people familiar with the discussions described the position as a low-risk opportunity for both sides. Hawaii gains one of the sharpest football minds in the country, while Davis gets an opportunity to determine whether he still wants football to be part of his future.

If it works, great.

If it doesn't, that's okay too.

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The Man Behind the Move

Several sources credited Hawaii defensive assistant Trent Figg as one of the driving forces behind bringing Davis to Honolulu.

Figg, who transitioned from Hawaii's Chief of Staff role into an on-field defensive assistant position for the 2021 season, had crossed paths with Davis multiple times throughout their careers. While never close friends, the two had developed a mutual respect and remained in contact over the years.

When Hawaii began exploring ways to strengthen its support staff, Figg believed Davis would be a perfect fit.

More importantly, he believed Hawaii would be a place where Davis could return to football on his own terms.

That distinction mattered.

A lot.

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Back... Sort Of

Naturally, the speculation has already begun.

Could this eventually lead to a coordinator position? A return to the SEC? Another head coaching opportunity somewhere down the road?

Those close to Davis insist such questions miss the point.

This isn't a comeback story.

At least not yet.

Maybe not ever.

For now, the objective is far simpler than winning championships or climbing coaching ladders. It is about maintaining his health, enjoying his life, and rediscovering the game that made him fall in love with coaching in the first place.

And for perhaps the first time since he first picked up a whistle, Porter Davis appears comfortable with not knowing what comes next.

For years he chased the next victory, the next promotion, and the next challenge. Every accomplishment became a stepping stone toward something bigger.

Today, standing thousands of miles from the SEC spotlight that once defined him, Davis seems content to stop chasing altogether.

Football is part of his life again.

For now, that's enough.

[redsox907]

he's back. I think?

[djp73]

he's back. I think?

sort of

[djp73]

Jordan McAlary and Hawaii's Surprise Run
A quarterback searching for one more chance. A coach learning how to love football again. Together, they helped write one of the most unexpected stories of the 2021 season.
By Stewart Mandel



At this time a year ago, Porter Davis wasn't sure he would ever work in football again.

At this time a year ago, Jordan McAlary wasn't sure he would ever play football again.

The former Arkansas head coach had spent much of 2019 and 2020 focused on something far more important than game plans, recruiting battles, or championship aspirations. After stepping away from coaching following a serious health scare and eventually resigning amid continued uncertainty surrounding his recovery, Davis was learning how to live a life that didn't revolve around football.

For the first time since he was a young assistant, there were no practices to run. No recruiting visits to make. No midnight film sessions. No pressure.

And, perhaps surprisingly, he was okay with that.

So when Hawaii first reached out during the 2020 season about a potential consulting role, Davis politely declined.

"I just wasn't ready," he would later admit.

The idea intrigued him, but the timing didn't feel right. His focus remained on his health, his recovery, and his family. Football could wait.

When Hawaii called again after the season, however, the conversation felt different.

The position came with no clearly defined responsibilities. There would be no recruiting territory to manage. No meetings he absolutely had to attend. No expectation that he would work eighty-hour weeks. It was simply an opportunity to contribute when he felt able and step away when he didn't.

Most importantly, it gave him a chance to dip his toe back into football rather than dive headfirst into it.

In January, Davis quietly accepted a one-year consulting agreement with the Rainbow Warriors.

Neither side viewed it as a long-term commitment. The contract was intentionally simple. Hawaii could move on if it felt the arrangement wasn't working. Davis could walk away if he discovered football no longer belonged in his life.

There would be no hard feelings either way.

As it turned out, the arrangement may have been exactly what both sides needed.

One of the people most responsible for making it happen was Hawaii assistant Trent Figg. After serving as the program's chief of staff in 2020, Figg transitioned into a defensive assistant role for the 2021 season. He and Davis had crossed paths numerous times throughout their careers and had developed a friendship built on mutual respect.

When discussions about bringing Davis aboard began, Figg became one of the strongest advocates for the move.

It didn't take long for Davis' influence to become noticeable.

Officially, he remained only a consultant. Unofficially, players and coaches routinely referenced his impact throughout the season. He helped evaluate defensive concepts, contributed ideas during game-planning discussions, introduced practice drills he had used successfully throughout his career, and occasionally assisted with recruiting efforts.

One recruiting battle in particular carried special significance.

Jordan McAlary.

Years earlier, McAlary had been the quarterback of Davis' final Louisiana team. Together they had helped usher in a new offensive identity for the Cajuns, with McAlary throwing for a school-record 4,414 yards and 28 touchdowns during the 2017 season. It appeared to be the beginning of something special.

Instead, injuries derailed nearly everything that followed.

A broken wrist limited McAlary to just two games in 2018. Another injury ended his 2019 season after only three appearances. Then came the COVID season, which McAlary elected to sit out entirely.

By the time he entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, many around college football viewed him as a talented player whose best days were likely behind him.

Davis disagreed.

According to several people inside the program, Davis became heavily involved in recruiting McAlary to Honolulu. He understood exactly what kind of player Hawaii was getting. More importantly, he understood exactly what kind of person they were getting.

For McAlary, the opportunity to reunite with a coach he trusted was equally appealing.

Neither man knew it at the time, but the partnership that had briefly flourished in Louisiana was about to receive a second chance.

Preseason expectations for Hawaii were modest. The Rainbow Warriors were largely viewed as a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West team entering the year. Most projections placed them behind programs such as Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, and Utah State.

By midseason, those predictions were beginning to look outdated.

McAlary quickly emerged as one of the conference's most productive quarterbacks, displaying the confidence and aggressiveness that had once made him one of the nation's most exciting passers. Hawaii opened conference play with a dramatic win over nationally ranked Fresno State before adding victories over San Jose State, Utah State, UNLV, Colorado State, and Wyoming.

The defining moment of the season came in early November when undefeated San Diego State arrived in Honolulu.

The game effectively served as a de facto division championship.

What followed became an instant Mountain West classic.

McAlary threw for more than 400 yards as Hawaii and San Diego State traded touchdowns deep into the fourth quarter. Every time one team appeared ready to seize control, the other answered. When the final whistle sounded, Hawaii had escaped with a thrilling 45-41 victory that ultimately secured the conference championship game berth thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Suddenly, one of the country's most surprising seasons had become very real.

The Rainbow Warriors finished the regular season 10-3 and 7-1 in conference play, earning a trip to the Mountain West Championship Game against Utah State.

The title game itself felt like a fitting conclusion to Hawaii's remarkable run.

McAlary threw for more than 350 yards and rallied the Rainbow Warriors from a second-half deficit, but Utah State answered with a late scoring drive before making one final defensive stand. Hawaii's dream season ended with a narrow 34-31 loss.

The disappointment lingered only briefly.

Several weeks later, Hawaii returned home to face Memphis in the Hawaii Bowl.

For four quarters the game resembled the entire season: explosive offense, momentum swings, and plenty of drama. Trailing 35-31 late in the fourth quarter, Hawaii placed the ball in the hands of the quarterback who had carried them all year.

McAlary delivered.

With less than a minute remaining, he engineered a game-winning touchdown drive, throwing the decisive score that gave Hawaii a thrilling 38-35 victory and its eleventh win of the season.

As the celebration erupted around him, McAlary made his way toward midfield.

Waiting there was Porter Davis.

The embrace between the two men lasted several seconds.

Neither seemed particularly interested in letting go.

For McAlary, it represented the culmination of a journey that had nearly been stolen by injuries and bad luck. For Davis, it represented something entirely different.

Proof.

Proof that football could still be part of his life without consuming it.

Proof that he could contribute without sacrificing his health.

Proof that he still loved the game.

In the aftermath of the bowl victory, Davis was asked the question everyone in college football seemed to be wondering.

Would he return to Hawaii in 2022?

Would he consider taking on a larger coaching role somewhere?

For perhaps the tenth time that evening, Davis smiled.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I need to take some time, talk with Maya, and figure out what makes sense for us."

It was not the definitive answer many were hoping for.

But unlike a year earlier, it wasn't a dismissal either.

For now, that was enough.

A year ago Porter Davis was trying to figure out whether football still had a place in his life.

Today, after one of the most surprising seasons in college football, the question no longer seemed to be whether he would return.

The question had become what that return might look like.

[redsox907]

still trying to figure out the play here

[djp73]

There’s layers
Tiramisu