Cornerback Fred Davis II has had a long road to the NFL, but that's just part of the journey, he says.
After travelling across the country in college, cornerback Fred Davis II has found a home in the NFL.
The former Northwestern defender, who spent last season in Evanston after stops at Clemson, UCF and Jacksonville State, is signing with the Washington Commanders. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Davis had planned to sign with the team as an undrafted free agent shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Davis was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and the No. 53 overall player (No. 7 cornerback) in 2020, per 247Sports' composite ranking. He committed to Clemson, helping form the nation's third-best recruiting class.
In three seasons with the Tigers, Davis played in 27 games and made four starts. The 6-foot-1 corner totaled 34 tackles, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery at Clemson before entering the transfer portal. Davis committed to UCF, but played in just two games with the Knights.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native returned to his hometown as a redshirt senior. He played all 14 games for Jacksonville State in 2024 and made nine starts, logging 18 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and four deflections for the Conference USA champion Gamecocks.
Davis went back to the Power Four level when he transferred to Northwestern for his final collegiate season. As the Wildcats' boundary corner opposite Josh Fussell, Davis set career-highs with 32 tackles and six pass breakups while starting 11 games. Davis trailed only slot defender Braden Turner as NU's highest-graded cornerback in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.
The day after Northwestern's bowl win in Detroit on Dec. 26, Davis packed everything up and moved to Pensacola, Fla., to begin training for the NFL Draft. He attended the Hula Bowl on Jan. 10, where his play impressed NFL scouts and earned him an invite to the Senior Bowl.
Davis was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster — accepting his offer just two days before the event began — but ended up recording an interception off of Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson in the game.
Although Davis went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft, his immediate signing as an undrafted free agent reveals that the Commanders thought very highly of him. Davis credits much of his development and preparation for the NFL to his lone season at Northwestern, where he was coached by former Detroit Lions DB LaMarcus Hicks, now the cornerbacks coach in Evanston.
"He taught me a lot of ball knowledge, just for that next level," Davis told Roundtable Sports. "The little keys and tips on studying the formations, the checks, the adjustments, splits, just the whole nine yards. I felt like that is going to translate over to the pros, from what Coach Hicks and Northwestern taught me."
Davis also said Northwestern helped him learn how to "practice like a pro," and that paid dividends when the time came for his NFL showcases. Scouts noticed Davis' physicality and ability to mirror receivers, and after meeting with 27 of the 32 NFL teams, his work eventually resulted in the undrafted free agent contract with Washington.
The 24-year-old cornerback called it "a blessing" to spend his final collegiate season at Northwestern and be coached by a variety of people with NFL experience, from Evanston to the Hula Bowl to the Senior Bowl.
"Coach Hicks, he's one of the best coaches I've ever had," Davis said. "He believed in me. I always ask him about that knowledge of the experiences of the NFL and what's to come. He's just sat me down and talked to me about what I should expect, what to do, what [not] to do, and just giving me that insight on his experiences and what the scouts and coaches are looking for at that next level."
Now, Davis will compete for a roster spot on a Commanders secondary that ranked among the worst in the NFL last season.