How a pre-Christmas flight to Oakland helped land J.C. Davis back with the Illini for a second season.
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CHAMPAIGN — J.C. Davis had no heads up to expect visitors a few days before Christmas while he was back home in Oakland (Calif.), but he was pleasantly surprised when an alert came across the Ring doorbell camera.
There at the door were Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, close mentor and UI assistant offensive line coach Byron Bell and Illini general manager Pat Embleton. Davis was watching a movie with his family when the trio made a pre-Christmas and pre-Citrus Bowl stop and made their pitch to lock down a premier position on the offensive line for one more year.
"They all were there and were like, 'We came here to talk to you about another season.' I'm like, 'OK, it's serious now,'" Davis said. "I was like, 'This is crazy.' I just laughed. I was just chillin' with the family and was like, 'This is crazy. (Bielema is) out here talking about this. He really wants me to come back.'"
Only Davis' father knew the meeting was on the schedule and clearly Davis, the team's left tackle, wasn't expecting Bielema and Co. to show up at his door. But Bielema is a heck of a salesman and knew the value of putting in the effort to go to Oakland — rather than delaying that meeting for a few days to take place in Orlando (Fla.) — to pitch Davis on a return.
Davis played one year at junior college before two seasons at New Mexico and last season at Illinois. The door for another year was opened by the Pavia ruling and ensuing NCAA waiver to permit student-athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26 if those student-athletes would have otherwise used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year and meet all other eligibility requirements (e.g., progress toward degree, five-year period of eligibility).
Davis just had to walk through the door, and Bielema was ready to make a compelling case for a return. Davis was this close to his NFL dreams and decided to put them on pause to return to Illinois for the 2025 season to improve his draft stock, help the team build on last season's 10-win year that ended with a Citrus Bowl victory and protect the blindside of star quarterback Luke Altmyer.
"Just thinking about what rounds I was going to go and stuff like that … it was just like Coach B talked to me good, and I liked what he was saying so I came back for another season," Davis said.
And it's a good thing for the Illini to have Davis back for another season. He was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection last season and earned a 67.6 Pro Football Focus grade with a really impressive 72.4 pass-blocking grade. His pass-blocking grade ranked 11th among all Big Ten offensive tackles with at least 250 snaps.
Davis likely would have been a late-round pick in the NFL Draft and was a shoo-in to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine to make his case to climb draft boards. He instead put his trust in Bielema, Bell and offensive line coach Bart Miller to climb even further up draft boards this season. That's a lot of trust for Davis to put into the coaching staff, but their connections last season earned that trust.
"They told me we're going to get back on it, we're going to work harder and we're going to be on you more and this and that," Davis said. "That's good though. They're not going to be like, 'This you came back we're going to ease up on you. Nah. We want you to be the best.' That's what they're going to do is for me to be the best."
What's important to improve?
"Everything," Davis said. "I still gotta work on everything. I wasn't All-American, so I've still got to get better out there."
Still, these decisions aren't easy. The NFL can offer life-changing money — though Davis will be well-compensated for his extra year at Illinois — and the jump is a lifelong dream for virtually every player in college football.
Decisions to stay or go weigh heavily. Big decisions aren't often easy.
"It's difficult because you don't know what could happen," Davis said. "You've just got to believe in the team and everything going around and believe in yourself that you're going to be able to do it and it's going to be OK. ...It was real tough. I feel like I didn't make it until a few days before the game. I was thinking about it. When your dream is this close, you're like, 'I can be there. No matter what round, I just need the opportunity to be there and be on the team.' I feel like I made the right decision."
Davis' return means all five starting linemen and for the Citrus Bowl — Zy Crisler started at right guard early in the season and has since transferred to Colorado — are back for the Illini: Davis, left guard Josh Gesky, center Josh Kreutz, right guard Brandon Henderson and right tackle Melvin Priestly. That's a heck of a starting five to both protect Altmyer and open up holes for a talented quartet of running backs.
Now, Davis will look to build on his first season in the Big Ten, where he saw plenty of talented players who are on their way to being drafted, and in some cases in the first round: Penn State's Abdul Carter and the Michigan and Nebraska defensive fronts among them. Davis was physical last season — he calls the 15-yard moving of a Northwestern defender the best block of his season — and was stellar in pass protection.
Pretty solid debut year in the Big Ten.
"I showed I can play Big Ten ball," Davis said. "I can play with some of the best. We went against Penn State and Abdul Carter. We went against the guys at Michigan, Michigan State, all those Nebraska guys. I feel like I showed I can play real legit football. ...I feel like it was already in me. It was like going out there and just showing other people that I play football. That's what I do."
Davis was a marquee addition for the Illini last offseason out of the transfer portal and passed on trying his hand at the NFL, though he was a fringe prospect, to step into the Big Ten spotlight. He didn't miss a beat. When the NFL was on the table again, he passed a second time thanks to help grow his game again. The Pavia ruling opened the door for Davis and Bielema surprising Davis at his own door was a big power play in getting the left tackle back to Champaign.
"I already felt I was already important," Davis said. "That just really showed who he is and what type of coach he is. He really came down and really wanted me a few days before Christmas."