SEATTLE – It’s funny sometimes how things work out.
When Byron Davenport – then known as Byron Velega – was a standout at Long Beach Poly High School, a University of California defensive backs coach had him sold on playing for the Bears.
J.D. Williams, then a defensive backs coach at the University of California Berkeley, recruited Davenport in high school and had the cornerback ready to commit. Instead, Davenport was forced – his words – into accepting a scholarship offer from UCLA, where he spent two years before transferring.
“I wanted to go to Cal out of high school,” said Davenport. “Coach Williams was at Cal, and that’s who I wanted to coach me.”
Now, three years after starting school at a college he never wanted to go to, Davenport is finally getting a chance to play for Williams, now in his second year as Washington’s defensive backs coach, and to play for a school of his choosing.
In high school, Davenport said, his stepfather made the decision on where to play for him.
“I never wanted to be there,” Davenport said of his time at UCLA. “I was forced, man, I was forced. Literally forced. My stepfather, he said, ‘You’re going to UCLA, that’s it.’ I wanted to go to Cal, but my stepfather was like, ‘You’re not going to Cal, who do you think you are’ and all this other stuff. He said it was my best fit, so I went.”
Eventually, Davenport made the decision to sever ties with the Bruins, as well as his stepfather. He left after his second year at UCLA, a season in which he played 12 games at cornerback, and enrolled at El Camino Community College, where he did not play football.
With the school change came a name change as well, as Davenport dropped his stepfather’s last name for his birth name, Davenport.
“We’re done, we don’t talk no more,” Davenport said. “We’re done. I cut ties with him. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
Davenport almost ended up at Washington State, where he made a verbal commitment, but eventually changed his mind and chose the Huskies in order to play for Williams.
“J.D. and the schedule, that’s why I chose Washington,” he said. “The schedule is the toughest in the country and I feel like I have the best DB coach in the country. I think this is going to be a good fit.”
As much as Davenport needed a change in scenery, the Huskies might need him more. With only two returning starters in the secondary, and a lack of experience at cornerback, Davenport will be expected to contribute right away.
“I’m pretty confident I can help this team,” he said. “I didn’t really realize how thin we were in the secondary until coach Williams broke it down. Now I really understand what my role needs to be and what not only my coaches but my team expects of me.”
Washington coach Tyrone Willingham hopes the experience Davenport gained at UCLA can help his defense in an area of need.
“That’s a plus, that’s a real plus,” said Willingham. “You’re hoping that experience that he has really shows itself.”
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