Meet the Mizzou Freshman: Running Back Marquise Davis

Late in the recruiting cycle, the Missouri Tigers added a talented freshman running back in Marquise Davis. Now, there's a very real chance he's a contributor this season.

Davis was a surprise commitment for head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. The process moved quickly after Davis decommitted from Kentucky, committing to Missouri the same day he backed out of his pledge with the Wildcats. An official visit one day before that sealed the deal for him.

The dynamic and powerful rusher is a Cleveland native who held plenty of offers out of high school. Missouri offered him in early August of 2024 and it appears as if the rest was history.

There is nothing stopping Davis from getting a select number of carries this season. There are cornerstones at the running back spots already on the roster, but Davis has the talent to overcome those odds and earn some snaps.

Here's everything you need to know about freshman running back Marquise Davis.

Player Info

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 205 lbs.
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
High School: Cleveland Heights

Recruiting

Consensus: 4-Star prospect
247Sports: No. 161 nationally, No. 11 position, No. 7 state
On3: No. 124 nationally, No. 5 position, No. 4 state
Rivals: Not ranked nationally, No. 17 position, No. 11 state
ESPN: No. 124, No. 7 position, No. 5 state

High school career

Over his past two seasons with Cleveland Heights, Davis amassed 3,800 rushing yards and 58 touchdowns. His senior season was highlighted by 1,671 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on 180 carries, littered with plenty of awards to go with it. He earned All-Conference honors, along with making his All-District first team.

Watch highlights from Davis's senior season with Cleveland Heights HERE.

His junior year was the most impressive, running wild for 2,228 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 262 carries. Even more impressive, Davis posted strong performances as a linebacker for Cleveland Heights, recording 65 tackles, a sack and three interceptions.

That impressive junior year was capped off by winning the 2023 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year award, Cleveland.com's offensive player of the year and being named a finalist for the Mr. Football Award. Davis also has a past as a track and field athlete, where part of his high-level athleticism stems from.

Fit with the Tigers

Missouri possesses a running back-friendly offensive scheme under offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. Since Moore took over the position, many backfield members of various archetypes and play styles have found success. Moore and Drinkwitz also run a wide zone system which favors running backs and presents as something Davis should be successful in.

Davis, as only a freshman, has a similar height and weight to recent successful Tiger running backs, as well. Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie stands at 5-foot-8, 197-pounds and Los Angeles Rams running back Cody Schrader at 5-foot-9, 214-pounds. That's big company to be compared with and Davis has a long way to go to be compared with them as a player, but the build and system are there for him to thrive in.

Coach's thoughts

"Marquise, we've actually been involved with for a while, and we actually had him on campus early in his recruiting process, and [offensive assistant] Brendan Boylan has done an excellent job in the state of Ohio recruiting and really laid the foundation for us there over 18 months ago."Eli Drinkwitz on Signing Day

When will he play?

Davis is one of a few freshmen on this roster who could play right away. He presents as the third or fourth running back on the depth chart as of now, but nothing is stopping Davis from beating out Tavorus Jones, Jamal Roberts, or both.

Drinkwitz has never shied away from giving freshman snaps early in their careers, as long as they've earned them. Kewan Lacy, who transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason, earned a small amount last year as a freshman. Various freshmen on defense have also seen snaps in previous years. A good spring camp could help Davis leapfrog some of those veterans ahead of him.

Davis wasn't a standout during spring practices by any means, but seeing him participate was an early indicator that he will be in contention for a role this season. He was an early enrollee, which allowed him to participate and give the coaching staff an early look at what he brings to the table.

Ceiling and Floor

Ceiling: Pushes Jamal Roberts for the second running back spot and racks up over 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.

Floor: Fourth running back on the depth chart behind Ahmad Hardy, Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones, which leads to minimal field time this season.