AUBURN, Ala. – Former Auburn standout Marcus Davis has been named wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Tigers' head coach Hugh Freeze announced Thursday. A four-year letterman from 2013-16 who helped Auburn win a Southeastern Conference title and appearance in the BCS National Championship game as a freshman and team captain as a senior, Davis comes to the Plains after serving as wide receivers coach at Georgia Southern.
"Marcus has achieved success at every stop of his career, from his time as a player at Auburn to each of his coaching positions," Freeze said. "He is one of the bright young coaches in our business and his knowledge of Auburn combined with his work ethic will be a tremendous asset to our program."
At Georgia Southern, Davis coached receivers Khaleb Hood and Jeremy Singleton, who received second team and honorable mention all-Sun Belt recognition. Hood led the team with school single-season records for receptions (87) and receiving yards (925), while his 6.7 receptions per game ranked 10th nationally in 2022. Singleton had 66 catches for 714 yards and fellow receiver Derwin Burgess Jr. had 58 receptions for 717 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. The trio of Hood, Burgess Jr. and Singleton were first, fourth and fifth respectively in the Sun Belt in receptions per game.
This past season Georgia Southern was fourth nationally in passing offense (329.2 ypg) and tied for 20th in the country with 28 passing touchdowns. GS receivers combined for a school-record nine 100-yard receiving games on the season.
"This is a great opportunity to return home to Auburn, a place that means so much to me," Davis said. "It's one of those things I don't take for granted and I am very appreciative to Coach Freeze for this opportunity. I'm ready to 'work, hard work' and do the little things to help get Auburn back to where it belongs."
Davis came to Georgia Southern after spending the 2021 season as the wide receivers coach for Hawaii, where he coached all-conference selection Calvin Turner Jr. After a standout season under Davis, Turner Jr. earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
A second-team All-Mountain West selection, Turner Jr. ranked fourth in the league in all-purpose yards (1,523) and touchdowns (12) and was sixth in receptions (73) and receiving yards (876). He was the team's fourth-leading rusher (316) and scored at least one touchdown in nine of 13 games. Also, Nick Mardner was named an honorable mention all-conference selection for his play under Davis. He caught 46 passes for 913 yards and five touchdowns with a long reception of 79 yards in 2021.
The Rainbow Warriors had 3,916 yards receiving and 21 touchdown catches in an offense that averaged over 300 passing yards per game.
Davis spent the 2020 season at Florida State as an offensive graduate assistant where he worked with the wide receivers and assisted with recruiting.
Prior to Florida State, Davis spent two seasons at Auburn. In 2019, Davis helped oversee player personnel and development for a squad ranked as high as No. 7 nationally. As an offensive analyst in 2018, he helped guide the running backs and kick returners.
A four-year receiver at Auburn, Davis played a part in four bowl teams, including as a starter in the 2014 BCS National Championship game against Florida State as a freshman. Davis played in 50 career games with 15 starts. He finished his career with 83 receptions and was eighth all-time at Auburn in punt return average (9.76) when he left.
A native of Boynton Beach, Florida, he graduated from Auburn with a degree in communication in 2016 and earned a master's in education from Auburn in 2017. He and his wife, Amberly, have a daughter, Milah Patrice, who was born in March of 2022.