The Rutgers defensive end position figures to use a host of players as part of the rotation throughout the course of a game this season. Fourth-year junior Darnell Davis continues to battle for his place in that rotation as he began training camp as part of the second-team defense.

Last year, Davis finished the season with 22 tackles and has worked on improving his game throughout the offseason..

“I got stronger, I gained weight and also got faster,” Davis said. “Our strength staff is doing a great job with us as far as nutrition. We are eating healthier and I am not ordering out everything. I know how to eat healthy now; vegetables, meat, carbs.”

Davis also brought some added size with him into training camp.

“I gained about 10 pounds. I was about 240 last year,” Davis said. “Now I am 250. I feel healthier, stronger and faster. I definitely feel like I put on good weight. I feel a lot better. I can get linemen off my face easier. It really has to be all muscle the staff put on me.”

The defensive end position that Davis plays has now been changed in the defense that was installed by new head coach Chris Ash.

“Now I am in a three-point stance. I was in a two [point stance] last year,” Davis said. “I am dealing with more stunts and less coverage. There are some coverage things going on, but more just containing, getting linemen off your face and rushing a little more. I love it actually.”

The current competition for reps at the defensive end position features a host of players, although Davis is the only one who did not arrive at Rutgers on scholarship.

He explained how coming in as a walk-on has helped him thrive as a college football player.

“You have a chip on your shoulder. You have to do everything right. You can’t mess up. No one’s perfect, but as a walk-on, you have to get good grades and do everything right on the field. You have to learn your playbook and earn the coaches trust.”

Davis was written himself a nice success story thus far, although he intends to add a few more chapters before his Rutgers career is through.

“I am not surprised how things have turned out. If you put in that hard work, you are going to get what’s coming out of it,” Davis said. “I worked my butt off to get to that point. But it doesn’t matter if you are a walk-on or a five-star, you are not going to get anywhere if you don’t work at a high level.”