In a deeper Auburn backfield, don't forget about Nykahi Davenport
Davenport was one of college football's best tackle-breakers last year, and there's always room in the toolbox for a hammer.
AUBURN — The first touchdown Nykahi Davenport scored in front of fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium wasn’t some jaw-dropping play.
It went down in the stat sheet for the A-Day Game as just a 7-yard run, but it served as an introduction of sorts for what the new Auburn coaching staff brought over from USF at running back.
On a fourth-and-1, Davenport took the handoff and churned his legs right through a diving stab from a much larger defensive tackle. He then quickly bounced left, exploding toward the end zone. At the goal line, he met two defenders and lowered his shoulder, powering in for the score.
It’s understandable if you, the Auburn fan, haven’t thought much about Davenport since he announced his transfer to the Plains back in the winter.
He wasn’t one of the biggest names to come over from USF — that honor belongs to star quarterback Byrum Brown and his receivers, along with center Cole Best — and he wasn’t even the most celebrated running back to transfer to Auburn this offseason. Bryson Washington, coming over from Baylor, took that title.
There might have been more attention placed towards Tae Meadows from the fan base, too, considering he was an in-state product who walked on at Troy before becoming its leading rusher in a bounce-back 2025 season.
There’s also a lot of local hype around Auburn High’s own Omar Mabson II, who got his feet wet as a reclassifying freshman last year and stood out at times in spring ball. Alvin Henderson is still on the roster after being a record-smashing running back in the southern part of the state and redshirting last year.
And, of course, Auburn brought back veteran rusher Jeremiah Cobb — who came oh-so-close to a 1,000-yard season on an underachieving offense — to lead the way.
If Davenport slipped through the cracks of your mind, that makes sense. Even his final line in the A-Day Game of 10 carries for 41 yards and that touchdown doesn’t scream the “breakout potential” that people crave from the final scrimmage of spring ball.
But, in an Alex Golesh offense that has historically leaned on a deep rotation at running back, having someone like Davenport could be a real X-factor for the fall.