MOORHEAD — Before he set up his visit to the University of Washington, Moorhead defensive lineman Elinneus Davis knew some firsts were on the horizon.
"It was my first time on a plane in a while," he said. "I'd never seen mountains before."
The star for the Spuds in 2021 has seen offers pour in from the Huskies, North Dakota State, Minnesota, Iowa State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, and Kansas.
He knew visits would be a part of the recruiting process, but he didn't foresee what would happen when he set up the trip to Seattle.
"My dad is overseas in Africa and my mom is running our shop by herself, so she couldn't just leave the shop," Davis said.
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He wasn't sure what was going to happen until Moorhead head coach Kevin Feeney stepped up.
"He was pretty adamant that he wanted to go and (Washington defensive coach Eric Schmidt) was putting the screws to me," he said. "So finally I just said, 'Screw it, I'll take him.'"
"Before we knew it, we were there," Davis remembered. "It was so unexpected."
Feeney, along with his son Jett, traveled with Davis on his first unofficial visit.
"He'd never seen the ocean, never been on a plane ride, never seen mountains in person," Feeney said.
"I was trying to hold Jett's hand on the takeoff, but he wouldn't hold my hand," Davis said, laughing about his first trip on an airplane.
It also helped Davis that Feeney had gone on these recruiting trips with his son, Trey.
"He was telling me what all he like about the place, and I was agreeing with him too," Davis said. "I loved that he understands what I should see."
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Davis, who tallied 53 tackles, 15 of those for loss, and two sacks last season, hopes to have a decision by July.
As the recruiting experience continues, however, he's doing everything he can to savor memories like the one he had with Feeney.
"He's been my guy," Davis said/ "I'm way closer to him than any other person in Moorhead. To do something like that for me is something I never would've expected to be honest."
