Congratulations to our October 2023 ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, Josiah Davis. The Berrien High football player was one of four nominees chosen for the award. The other deserving nominees were Reece Fountain (Rome), Favian Williford (Apalachee), and Jayreon “JJ” Campbell (McEachern). All received votes, but in the end it was the Berrien special teams standout who came away with the most votes and the award.
Davis is in his final season with the Rebels, and in addition to his football prowess, he also excels at basketball and track for Berrien. But it’s his football abilities that have attracted the attention of fans across the state and have resulted in him winning our Athlete of the Month award. Davis has also attracted the attention of college recruiters everywhere, including Florida, where he is committed and is projected to play defensive back.
Davis turned heads last season when he returned with 7 kickoff returns for touchdowns out of only 12 chances. According to Berrien head coach Ken Eldridge, who has been coaching high school football for more than three decades, Davis is the best kickoff returner he’s ever coached, and that includes at least one really big name who played under Eldridge when he was the head coach at Coffee. Chances are you have heard of him.
“Joe is a better kickoff return man than Tyreek Hill,” Eldridge said of the former Trojans standout who has gone on to become one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, first with the Kansas City Chiefs and now with the Miami Dolphins.
Eldridge said Davis is not a one-dimensional player: “Josiah plays everywhere for us. He lines up at quarterback, running back, slot receiver, and on defense he plays safety and cornerback for us. Josiah is also our punter and is on our kickoff team [kicking to opponents].”
Eldridge said opponents no longer kick to Davis because of his reputation for being able to return kickoffs through a team of 11 players.
“Josiah has such great vision and sees the field as good as anyone,” the veteran coach said. “It takes a special player to do what he has been able to accomplish with his kickoff returns.”
Davis has rushed 66 times for 404 yards and 8 TDs through his first 5 games of 2023. As the team’s QB, he has completed 16 of 35 pass attempts for 2 TDs. He has no kickoff returns for TDs but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been effective.
“His teammates have three kickoff returns for TDs in our first five games,” Eldridge said. “So by not kicking to Josiah, that’s giving his teammates an opportunity to return kicks, and they are taking advantage of that.”
