Hired Feb. 1, 2019, Wendel Davis begins his first season as a Packers’ defensive quality control coach. He joins the Packers after spending the previous three seasons (2016-18) working as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Georgia.
In his current role in Green Bay, Davis will work closely with defensive coordinator Mike Pettine with a focus on coaching the front seven in addition to breaking down opponent game film and analyzing their offensive tendencies, developing the playbook, compiling team and player reports and coordinating the opponent scout team. He will also assist with special teams.
As a graduate assistant at Georgia, Davis was part of a coaching staff that led the Bulldogs to a 32-10 record from 2016-18 with appearances in two SEC championship games, the Rose Bowl, the College Football Playoff National Championship and the Sugar Bowl. While at Georgia, he worked with the inside linebackers, assisted with recruiting and helped coach the defensive scout team. In 2017, Davis helped coach one of the best defenses in college football as the Bulldogs ranked No. 4 in the nation in total defense, No. 5 in scoring defense, No. 3 in pass defense and No. 12 in rush defense.
Davis also helped mentor LB Roquan Smith, who led Georgia in tackling in 2017 (137) and 2016 (95). As a junior in 2017, Smith was named a unanimous first-team All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and became the first Georgia player to win the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker. Smith was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Prior to his time with the Bulldogs, Davis spent the 2015 season at the University of Texas as a defensive football analyst, where he worked with the defensive line. He helped mentor DT Hassan Ridgeway, who earned All-Big 12 honorable mention. Ridgeway totaled 36 tackles, 3½ sacks and two fumble recoveries in 2015 and was selected in the fourth round (No. 116 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Before joining the Longhorns, Davis worked for two seasons (2013-14) as the inside linebackers coach and travel coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He was part of a staff that helped turn around a 1-9 record in 2012 to 7-5 in 2013. The turnaround continued in 2014 as the Lions went 9-3 and won the Lone Star Conference title.
Davis began his coaching career as a volunteer at West Texas A&M, eventually serving as the inside linebackers/graduate assistant (2010-12).
A native of Sweeny, Texas, Davis was a four-year letterwinner (2006-09) and two-year starter at linebacker at the University of Arkansas. He recorded 164 career tackles in 47 games, earned SEC All-Freshman recognition in 2006 and served as team captain as a senior in 2009. He graduated from Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and holds a graduate degree in education from the University of Georgia.
Born Aug. 16, 1988, Davis is single and lives in
Green Bay.
