Raekwon Davis (Pronounced: RAY-kwon) (born June 10, 1997) is an American football Defensive tackle^[1] for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He is under contract through the end of the 2025 NFL season in a two-year deal paying him $14 million, of which $7 million is guaranteed.

Davis was drafted in 2020 by the Miami Dolphins, for whom he played out his 4-year rookie contract. He previously played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning a national title in January 2018.

Raekwon Davis was born June 10, 1997, in Meridian, Mississippi.^[2]

He attended Meridian High School where he played football as a defensive lineman.^[2] He was not a high school superstar, logging just 10 tackles in 2013, his sophomore year.^[3] Despite the relative lack of production and his lack of finished technique, the raw Davis made an attractive prospect for college football owing to his oversized frame,^[3] standing 6'7" tall and tipping the scales at nearly 310 pounds even before graduation.^[4]

Major football programs around the region were intrigued. The first to offer the three-star prospect a scholarship was the Alabama Crimson Tide, who issued a formal offer in June 2014.^[4] Mississippi State and the University of South Carolina were quick to follow, as did Ole Miss — who sought to convert Davis to offensive tackle.^[4]

At the end of July, Davis made his decision, committing to the program that had offered him first, the University of Alabama.^[4]

Davis' junior season proved more successful. The big defensive tackle finished with 31 tackles and 6 sacks in helping to lead the Wildcats to a 7–5 record in 2014.^[5] Four of the team's 5 losses were by just 4 points or less, leading to a 2015 preseason No. 3 Mississippi state ranking by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.^[5]

Davis saw action in four games as true freshman at the University of Alabama in 2016.^[6] His output was tangential to the team's success, adding just four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble for the year.^[6]

The Crimson Tide would finish the season with a record of 14–0 before losing to the Clemson Tigers 35–31 in the College Football Playoff National Championship held in January 2017.

Late in the summer of his 2017 sophomore year, Davis was shot in the right leg and hospitalized with a minor injury.^[7] According to the Tuscaloosa News, Davis had been standing outside a bar in the early morning hours on Sunday, August 27, when he was hit in the leg by a stray bullet, requiring hospital attention.^[7] Due to Davis' lack of cooperation with law enforcement officials, police investigation of the incident was quickly cancelled.^[7]

Less than a week Later on September 2, Davis played in the Alabama opening game against the Florida State Seminoles, and recorded a sack.^[8] The 2017 would be his best statistical year at Alabama, with Davis racking up 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 13 games played for the Crimson Tide.^[6]

The Crimson Tide would once again advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2018, this time emerging triumphant in overtime over the Georgia Bulldogs, 26–23. Davis snagged a crucial third quarter interception off a tipped pass from Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the comeback victory.

During his junior season, Davis received notoriety for punching Missouri Tigers lineman Kevin Pendleton during a game.^[9] Although multiple blows were landed, all captured on video, and a penalty flag was thrown, Davis was not ejected from the game.^[9] He issued an apology to Pendleton later in the night after conclusion of the game.^[9]

Again Alabama mowed down the competition, finishing the season with a record of 14–0 and advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2019. This time hard defeat would come, with Alabama demolished by Clemson, 44–16. Despite the bitterness of the loss, there would be a personal accolade for Davis, as he was named a second team All-American at defensive tackle.^[10]

Despite speculation that he would declare for the 2019 NFL Draft, Davis announced that he would return to Alabama for his senior season.^[11] During this 2019 senior season, Davis appeared in 12 games, logging 18 solo tackles, 29 assists, and splitting one quarterback sack with a teammate.^[6]

Timing is everything in professional athletics and Raekwon Davis' decision not to enter the 2019 NFL draft proved costly. A perceived decline in production in his senior year caused the probable first day selection to slip to Day 2 in 2020.^[12]