AUBURN, Ala. – After the 2018 season, when weighing his options to remain at Auburn another season or move on to the next step of his football career, Javaris Davis couldn't get comfortable with the idea of entering the NFL draft. Something just did not feel right for the defensive back. He wasn't ready to leave the Plains just yet.
"My mom gave me the best advice I have ever received when I was smaller," the hard-hitting defender from Jacksonville, Fla., said. "She always told me to never get comfortable with success. That stuck with me because I've never had a big head and I'll never get a big head. That's just how I was raised. It's helped me never get complacent."
Complacency has never been a problem for Davis, not since his freshman year at Auburn when he made a play that he believes to be his "defining moment" on the Plains in just the third game of the season.
It was a night game in Jordan-Hare Stadium in September 2016, and Davis was lined up at cornerback against Texas A&M's offense. When Aggie receiver Christian Kirk, the defending SEC freshman of the year, tried to haul a pass in near the sideline, Davis came up and delivered a bone-rattling hit that jarred the ball loose. Initially, the hit silenced everyone in the stadium. But then there was a huge eruption and roar from the fans.
It was a hit that Davis would never forget and one that set the tone for the defensive back's future with the Tigers.
"I would say it was a defining moment for me," he said. "No one thought that I had that in me. I just carried that memory forward, and it's helped me with my success to where I am now. It just gave my coaches something to talk about."
Since that hit three seasons ago, that hunger still lives inside Davis. While remaining humble about his accomplishments to date, the veteran with 24 career starts and 107 career tackles was hard at work this summer and has continued that effort into preseason camp to set himself up for an unforgettable senior season.
"Last season, there were a few plays that I wish I could get back – plays that I knew I should've made that I didn't make," Davis said. "I don't want to let that happen again, so I want to do everything in my power to do right for my last season. I don't want to leave here with plays in my head to dwell on."
This will be the fifth Auburn team for Davis, who redshirted in 2015, and he predicts that this upcoming season will be a special one because of the selfless attitude and approach this year's team has decided to embrace.
"I just feel like our bond is more complete – it feels stronger," Davis explained. "Even though we've had strong bonds in past seasons that I have been here, this one just feels different. It feels a lot stronger. The vibes feel different. I think everyone is playing for one another, instead of just themselves."
That attitude starts with leadership, and there's no lack of leaders on this Auburn team, particularly on defense where several seniors chose to return to school just like Davis. Though he sees himself as more of a quiet person, Davis likes to lead by example.
"I always want to be remembered by my teammates as someone who worked hard, led by example and was a great leader," says Davis, who leads all current team members with six career interceptions. "I always want them to say I had good character and that I never picked on anyone or ever acted like anyone was lesser than me."
For Davis, the decision to stay at Auburn went beyond himself. He earned his bachelor's degree in business marketing and August and will now embark on graduate studies. And in a message to the Auburn Family, he expressed that while he felt confident in his abilities to play at the next level – where several of his cousins have had successful NFL careers – he knew there was unfinished business.
As a result, the senior vowed to make the 2019 season, his last at Auburn, one to remember.
"The Auburn Family is very loyal," Davis said. "Everything is a big family tradition, and I just feel like everyone who's part of it truly cares for one another. They've trusted me and showed me their loyalty, and I thank them for that."