AUBURN, Ala. – Every night before Thomas Phillips goes to bed, it's his job to list off the names of everybody in his family when they say the prayer. And every night, as Thomas is going through the different names, he makes sure to include Deshaun Davis in that prayer.
Most Auburn fans know Davis as No. 57, the stud linebacker flying around on the field and making plays on Saturday. Davis, one of the team captains this season, has six games with double-digit tackles and is currently ranked third in the SEC with 95 tackles on the year. He recently passed Josh Bynes on the all-time list at Auburn with 245 career tackles and counting.
But if you ask 6-year-old Thomas about Davis, he'll simply tell you, "That's my best friend."
The two met during the 2016 season. Thomas came down for an Auburn home game with his grandfather, Kiah, and his cousin, Hayden. Davis was walking the field like he does before every game when he noticed Thomas and his family standing on the first row in one of the end zones. Thomas had his arms out, and his grandfather was signaling for Davis to come over.
"I went over there, and he was wanting to hug me," Davis said. "So I gave him a hug. I tried to put him down, and he wouldn't let me go. He just had a tight grip on my neck."
As it turns out, Davis was Thomas's favorite player. It didn't matter that the sophomore had yet to play much for the Tigers. For some reason, Thomas just loved watching No. 57 play. And once the two met for the first time, there was this instant connection between them.
From that point on, Davis started becoming part of the Phillips family prayer and Thomas started to become part of the game day routine for Davis. Now, before every game, Davis seeks out Thomas and his family after the team prayer. The two will talk about everything from video games to celebrations. Before the Texas A&M game, Thomas even had his own celebration for every time Davis made a tackle.
"Every home game, I have to go and see him," Davis said. "Even some away games, I see him. He came to the Ole Miss game, and I got to hug him. Anytime they're at a game, I have to lay eyes on him. I have to give him a hug before the game."
After the two get done talking, Davis will then pick Thomas up and carry him onto the field where they go and pray together by one of the goal posts.
"Sometimes I pray. Sometimes I let him pray," Davis said. "It's just you keep building that relationship, and I feel like it's being built off the right thing, too. Their family is very spiritual, and at the same time, I'm a big believer in Christ."
Over the years, the relationship has grown. When Davis saw that Thomas was wearing a No. 24 Auburn jersey to games, he had a No. 57 jersey made for him with "D. Davis" on the back. Last January, Thomas and his family visited Mobile to see former Auburn linebacker Tre' Williams participate in the Senior Bowl, and while they were down there, they went to church with Davis and his family the day after the game.
"It's just been that kind of connection," said Kiah Phillips, Thomas' grandfather. "As families, we're all best friends. Deshaun's mom, everybody, we all call each other family. And they love Thomas. When we went to the church, everybody in the church knew who he was because of the videos of them praying together and everything."
It's been three years since that first encounter, and Davis has gone from a relative unknown to one of the best linebackers on the SEC. But through it all, he's never forgotten about Thomas. He always makes the time to go see his friend before every game.
If anything, the bond between the two has only gotten stronger over time.
"We knew Deshaun when he was just a sophomore," Kiah said. "As he's become the star of the team and the captain of the team, he's never changed. He is humble. He really doesn't want it to be about him, which is really awesome. It shows how much they love each other and how much they love God.
"When you have so many college athletes that can be trouble kids, here you've got one that a 6-year-old has picked to be his mentor, and you can't pick a better one than Deshaun Davis."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf