"My visit was pretty much perfect," said Davis. "The coaches welcomed me like I was family and the players made me feel like I was a Bear even before my commitment."
One of the players that treated Davis most like family was one of the newest of Bears in Sacred Heart running back commit Desarte Yarnway, who acted as a de-facto host on the weekend with his familiarly with his hometown San Francisco and the team spending time in the city by the bay.
"Desarte's a great player and a great person," said Davis. "Everyone was telling me that he's from the area and guys on the team have seen him play and that he's definitely going to be a good one. We're already making plans to be roommates next year. He's a really cool guy."
Davis had a productive year for Cerritos, compiling 11 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, along with 39 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 1 pass defensed.
"As a player, one of the big things coaches talk about is energy and enthusiasm, beyond athletic talent," said Cerritos recruiting coordinator Tom Caines. "When Tennessee came in to look at Ryan, they said he plays like he really loves to play football, which is always encouraging to me.
"He's got great strength and is a very good pass-rusher. He was the only unanimous All-Conference pick on our team and we had seven All-Conference players."
The Bears will look to utilize Davis' agressiveness and pass-rushing ability as a rush end, much as departing senior linebacker Zack Follett was utilized but with Davis likely playing with his hand on the line more frequently with his size.
"I'm basically going to be a hybrid d-end/linebacker coming in," said Davis. "Zack Follett did a great job this year in a similar role, leading the team in sacks and tfl's (tackles for loss). Coach Thompson, Coach Gregory and Coach Tedford said they know how well I rush the quarterback. It will be a bit of a transition when I'm lined up at linebacker but I'm not worried about that at all. I'm real excited about it."
Davis' commitment was music to the Cal coaches ears, as they'd long pursued the big end.
"The coaches were almost more excited than me," said Davis. "They've been recruiting me since the spring and when I finally committed at breakfast with Coach Thompson, he told Coach Tedford and Coach Gregory and they were really happy. They wanted me to make my decision this weekend."
Davis has seen his recruiting pick up significantly with his his big season with 7-4 Cerritos, who ended their season with a loss to Palomar JC.
"I told Coach Tedford that I was considering taking a visit with Oregon when I had my one on one meeting with him and I've already been to NC State and Hawaii, but with Cal's academic game plan, their education, the program and the location, everything seemed great at Cal so it made me really think when I committed later Sunday morning."
"I know Ryan liked his trip to NC State and was looking forward to tripping to Tennessee but he like the idea of playing in the Pac 10 and Cal was a good choice for him," said Caines, echoing Davis' thoughts.
Cal's pending High Performance Athletic Center also played role in Davis' interest in the Bears program, as he learned with interest what was in store at Memorial.
"They're building a new facility on the west side of the stadium and they have a good plan," said Davis. "They want to be the best in everything and I think with their new facilities, it will go a long way towards that. I saw the plans and it could be one of the best facilities around. They're breaking ground this Friday."
Davis will have three years to play two coming into Cal. He played at Mayfair (Lakewood, CA) his sophomore season before moving to Artesia and earning all-league honors there his junior year. With his interest in football waning and Artesia's prospects dim in his senior year, Davis chose to drop football. He remained out of the game while working for two years before enrolling at Cerritos and picking up football again with a renewed enthusiasm.
"Being away from football those few years gave me a hunger to play again," said Davis. "Honestly, I feel if I would've come straight from Artesia, I wouldn't have been in as good of a position. Spending time away then coming to Cerritos is the best thing I could've done."
"He's a lot of fun to coach," said Caines. He's just as much a high-energy guy off the field as he is on the field. And having had the time away, he's able to explain to the other guys that life is short and you have to take advantage of your opportunities in life. Everything could be gone in a heartbeat if you don't work hard."
Davis has four more classes to finish up in his last semester to receive his AA before heading to Berkeley this summer.
