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Article Published: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 8:25:16 PM PST
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Prompt Replacement
Early arrival could fill Williams' shoes
By Scott Wolf
Staff Writer
He didn't quite sneak out of town, but when USC receiver Fred Davis left Toledo, Ohio, in late January, he didn't give much notice.
Davis said he committed to USC and boarded a plane two days later for Los Angeles, where he enrolled for the spring semester after graduating early from high school.
"I made a plane reservation right away," Davis said. "People were (stunned). I still have to say goodbye to everybody."
Although generally considered one of the top 20 players in the nation, the Ohio native's decision to enroll early at USC became extremely more interesting when All-American receiver Mike Williams announced last week he was turning pro.
That leaves the Trojans with two openings at receiver, with Williams and Keary Colbert gone, and gives Davis a chance to win a starting spot beginning Saturday, when the Trojans open spring practice.
Although Davis is soft-spoken, he's brimming with confidence on the eve of his first college practice.
"A good season for me would be breaking Mike's (freshman) record," Davis said. "I'd be happy with that. It's not impossible. I think it could happen."
Williams merely set NCAA freshman records for receptions (81), yards (1,265) and touchdowns (14) in 2002.
"I don't know if I can replace him, but I can try to be good. I want to be better than anyone who plays receiver here," Davis said. "I don't ever think I'm worse than anyone."
It's a natural comparison between Williams and Davis because of the physical resemblance. Davis is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds despite never lifting weights before last season. And even USC's coaches compare him favorably in some respects.
"He's a big guy. Right now, he's a lot smoother than Mike as a freshman," USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "He runs better. Now, whether he can catch, we'll find out."
Davis has something else in common with Williams. They each caught just 17 passes in their senior year. But Davis was also a tailback and finished the season with more than 600 yards rushing and more than 500 receiving.
"Whenever they needed help, they put me back there," Davis said of his time at tailback.
Nebraska recruited him as a tailback, but Davis said he "thought they were crazy."
His aversion to running offenses is probably what allowed USC to pluck him out of Ohio, even though he was ranked as the state's No. 2 player and lived a couple of hours from Ohio State.
"I went to Ohio State games and I really thought they were boring," Davis said. "I kind of fell asleep. Their offense makes you fall asleep.
"They're near my hometown, so they'll probably take care of me if I went there, but what's the reason to play there? To block?"
With Ohio State out, Davis narrowed his choices to USC and Miami. But he quickly discovered he wasn't a fan of the Hurricanes' offense.
"Miami is like a running team. They didn't throw a lot," Davis said. "They didn't have good stats at receiver."
Ironically, it was Williams who helped convince Davis to leave the Midwest for USC, after Davis initially wondered whether a player far from home could play right away.
"Mike told me people from out of state could play here because he's from Florida," Davis said.
Then again, Davis might have committed sooner if he knew Williams would forgo his final two years of eligibility.
"It probably would have made it easier and quicker to commit," he said.
Davis said he wasn't scared off by the fact two other highly touted receivers -- Dwayne Jarrett of New Brunswick, N.J., and Derrick Jones of Long Beach Poly -- signed with the Trojans.
"When I saw the receiver class coming in, I thought, 'I've got to be in that,' " Davis said.
Davis knew he would have an advantage over other recruits because he enrolled early.
"It's going to be harder for them. I'll be used to this system," Davis said.
Since Jarrett is actually an inch taller, one question next season will be "Who is better?"
"I don't think anyone's better (than me)," Davis said. "But we're both on the same level."
USC receivers coach Lane Kiffin, who recruited Davis and Jarrett, said the two are different players.
"Jarrett is more of a lanky receiver. He's got more of a chance to be like Mike, because Davis is faster," Kiffin said. "Fred can be quicker."
Kiffin said Davis drew his attention because of his breakaway speed.
"He just ran away from kids in high school," Kiffin said. "It's hard to tell right now what he can do. But he knew he had a chance for a big role if he came here."
Scott Wolf, (818) 713-3607
[email protected]
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