Ennis’ KD Davis named to All-Conference USA first team

KBEC Sports report

DALLAS – Ennis graduate and University of North Texas junior linebacker KD Davis was named First-Team All-Conference USA, while three Mean Green players earned second-team honors and five others were honorable mention selections, the league recently announced.

Davis, who led the Mean Green in tackles for the third straight season, was the first UNT player to eclipse the 100-tackle mark in a season since E.J. Ejiya totaled 121 in 2018. He finished the regular season with a conference-leading 107 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss (tied for second in C-USA), two fumble recoveries and five sacks. Davis helped the Mean Green start their season-ending five-game win streak to gain bowl eligibility with an eye-popping 18 tackles in the first of those five wins over Rice back on Oct. 30 – the most tackles for a UNT player in a game since at least 2000.

Davis and the Mean Green fell to Miami (OH), 27-14, in the Frisco Football Classic Bowl to close out the 2021 season. He led the team with 14 total tackles (5 solo) on Dec. at Frisco’s Toyota Stadium.

The 6-foot, 229-pound linebacker has already stacked up quite a few accolades for the Mean Green since joining the program in 2018. 

After appearing in 13 games as a true freshman, Davis led the UNT defense with 88 tackles, including 7 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks, over 12 games and 11 starts. Those efforts led to his naming to the All-Conference USA honorable mention team. 

Davis was again named to the All-Conference USA honorable mention team following the COVID-altered 2021 season. He tallied a team-high 75 tackles with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and three sacks across 9 starts. 

Davis set a then-career-high 14 tackles against Southern Miss on Oct. 3, 2020. He was named the Conference Defensive Player of the Week following a team-best 9 tackles (1 TFL) and a sack against Houston Baptist on Sept. 5, 2020. 

Davis was a three-star prospect out of high school, holding offers from Lousiana Tech, Arkansas State, Illinois, Louisana-Monroe and Memphis before choosing UNT. He graduated from Ennis in 2018.

Davis recorded 97 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, four interceptions and two forced fumbles his senior year at Ennis. The effort landed him the District 17-5A Defensive Player of the Year award. He recorded 63 tackles with three forced fumbles as a junior in 2016.