Phil Davis. If you don't know the name by now, you should.
The 6-foot Penn State wrestler may provide the greatest show on the Penn State campus.
Last year, he ended a 25-4 season in the national final bout at the 197-pound weight class. He finished his stellar run as national runner-up on the losing end of a 10-3 decision. With last year's opponent gone after graduation, the future never seemed so bright for Davis, and he knows it.
He entered this season ranked No. 1 in the country and since then, he has suffered only one upset loss, causing his rank to fall as far as No. 5. Davis hasn't lost again, improving his record to 20-1 and rank to No. 2.
Still not good enough.
"I'm making a pretty strong case [for the No.1 spot]," Davis said at the start of the month after upsetting then-No. 2 Mike Tamillow, of Northwestern, 14-2. "There's very little evidence to argue against it. So that's what I'm working toward."
After that dominating victory, Davis made a bold prediction for his upcoming match against Iowa freshman Rick Loera. He predicted to make Dan Gable, one of the nation's most respected wrestling coaches, cringe.
"I can't wait to see Gable flip out when I put their guy on his back," Davis said. "To be honest with you, it's just going to be a pleasure to pin Gable's guy. Gable trained him, and I pinned him. So it's going to be quite an experience."
It was more like a sacrifice than a wrestling match. As soon as the previous bout was over, Davis bolted to the middle of the mat, waiting and staring. Loera, on the other hand, paced alongside the mat undoubtedly feeling Davis' eyes drilling into him.
It only took 1:17 for Davis' plan to be executed, with him scoring a pinfall. After the match, Davis admitted that he had the sense that his opponent did not want to be in there with him. It's all a part of his strategy.
"Well, I'm pretty sure he knows he's an undersized 197-pounder," Davis said. "Sometimes you gotta use your ranking to take your guy completely out of the match. Intimidation is a big part of what I do."
Cocky athletes may be the guiltiest pleasures in sports. We love some, and we can't wait to see others fall flat on their faces. For most Penn State fans, Davis is on the former side of that argument.
He backs up the talk, and that's what makes an athlete great.
It's true that Davis wrestles the way he wants to wrestle. With Penn State and Nike involved in an endorsement agreement, all of the grapplers are expected to wear Nike apparel, obviously. When Davis' shoes got worn down and the style was discontinued, he wouldn't settle for the replacements. He stands out by his electric personality, and now his shiny white, non-Nike sneakers.
Whatever he needs to bring home the wins is good enough for head coach Troy Sunderland, though.
"Just make sure he's got two shoes, his headgear and a singlet. That's about it," Sunderland said of what Davis needs on the mat. "Just making sure he's loose and ready to go. He's wrestling with a lot of confidence, and you know he's got a large arsenal, whether it's offensively or defensively."
And it showed against rival Matt Cassidy of Lehigh in this year's home opener. Cassidy dealt Davis one of last year's four losses. Cassidy found himself down 10-3 and on the verge of a forced default.
After several injury timeouts, Davis literally held him down by a finger, the call was made and Davis became a hero.
He has overpowered the majority of his opponents, giving him a good enough reason to enter the mat with a huge advantage. Things don't look to be slowing down for the junior as the tournament season nears and the title of national championship lures.
If the title was based on pure domination, the title is as good as his, and judging by the self-assured swagger, you'd think he already had it.
If you don't know about Phil Davis yet, you will.
