A week ago, Cam Davis was the University of Washington's starting running back, looking forward to the Huskies having a big season, good-naturedly drawing teammates' catcalls as he answered media questions.
"Oh my God, is that Cam Davis?" Richard Newton impishly called out from across the field, trying his best to rattle his fellow rusher.
Everything was so upbeat that day for the 6-foot, 212-pound junior from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who was shirtless, exposing his heavily tattooed upper torso.
"It's about the journey, not the destination," Davis said, explaining the different ink-stained images that seemed to lean to Greek mythology.
In that case, Davis' football journey just got a lot longer after it became a little more painful, with coach Kalen DeBoer revealing on Tuesday that his No. 1 tailback was lost for the season with an unspecified lower-body injury suffered in the final fall scrimmage and would need surgery.
"Cam is a huge part of it," DeBoer said. "Second year in our system. Just works so hard. Leads the right way. Disciplined guy. Not only does a great job with the ball in his hands, but with pass protection. He knows everything inside and out."
Football is so blatantly unfair sometimes. It requires endless hours of monotonous preparation, intense practice and great courage. In an instant, the game can ruthlessly take everything away from you. Healthy ligaments. Strong bones. The depths of your soul.
For four seasons, Davis has pushed hard to earn as many carries as he could and ultimately take over as the first-team Husky tailback this fall. He previously had rotated in and out of the backfield with the likes of Salvon Ahmed, Sean McGrew, Kamari Pleasant, Wayne Taulapapa, Will Nixon, Sam Adams II and Newton.
He started three games, including the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State, though drawing just the opening play in which he carried the ball. He was injured and couldn't finish the 2021 season. He sat out all of DeBoer's first spring practices. He missed the Alamo Bowl against Texas last December after getting hurt in practice.
Last week, Davis had no idea he was discussing a sensitive subject that won't go away when he talked about being sidelined in 2022 and how he intended to avoid that pratfall in the weeks ahead.
"I went into the offseason with the mentality of just getting stronger and more durable," he said. "I missed two games with injuries so I'm trying to limit that and try to take my game to the next level."
Instead, the normally sturdy and deceptively speedy Davis will take his body into surgery and start all over again in reclaiming his health and becoming competitive once more in 2024.
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