New Rutgers defensive end Malachi Davis learns from the past, grows in the present after transfer

In just two collegiate stops, Malachi Davis has exposed himself to some of the highest-regarded defensive minds in the game.

In four years at Toledo, Davis was coached by defensive coordinator Vince Kehres, who led some of the most effective defenses in the country, let alone the Group of Five ranks, in six seasons before taking the same job at Syracuse this past offseason.

Now, the senior defensive end heads to Rutgers for his final year of eligibility. Head Coach Greg Schiano has been widely recognized as a top defensive mind for much of his career — even if last year’s Scarlet Knights unit didn’t necessarily show it. Incoming is new defensive coordinator Travis Johansen, who has grabbed headlines for some of his own innovations on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Davis enters the Big Ten gauntlet with lessons from his past, but is ready to learn in the present.

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Davis’ path to Rutgers

Following the four-year stint in the MAC, Davis entered the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, he was an intriguing option as a long and athletic edge rusher. The Scarlet Knights came away victorious over two conference rivals, Michigan State and Nebraska, as well as a local one, as Kehres and the Orange also battled for his services out of the portal.

“I talked to a lot of schools across the country,” Davis told TKR Tuesday. “But the moment I spoke with Coach Schiano, and he laid out his vision, it was kind of a clear-cut choice. I’m big in my faith, and my faith led me here to Rutgers.”

Davis became a full-time starter for the Rockets in 2025 as a bit of a late bloomer, and put up 36 tackles with 5.5 sacks, both career-highs. But over his time at Toledo, he learned his most important lesson.

“I learned a lot at Toledo, it was four years of a successful defense, and I learned that effort is everything,” he said. “So if I can run to the ball, it’ll make up for all the mistakes I could make, and just trying to grind every day here and take it one day at a time.”

The Rockets ranked inside the top 25 nationally in fewest yards per play allowed for all four of Davis’ years at Toledo, including a third-place finish this past season — just behind College Football Playoff teams Ohio State and Texas Tech. Rutgers, on the other hand, finished last among 136 FBS teams.

But those stellar finishes (as well as the Scarlet Knights’ not-so-stellar one) in the past are just that — in the past. Now, Davis is at a different place with new goals ahead.

“Yeah, that stuff happened,” said Davis. “But I got to leave that in the past and grow with my brothers here at Rutgers, and learn from the new coaching staff, because they have stuff to teach me every single day, and they have ways to improve my game. So I’m just kind of leaving it behind, but taking it with me at the same time.”

New Jersey, New Destination

Almost everything is new about the Scarlet Knights’ defensive unit. New players, coaches, and schemes galore, Davis among them. Although it’s early in the spring practice session, the early returns have been encouraging for the group.

“We’re getting better every day, and I think that’s all you can really ask for,” said the senior edge rusher. “In terms of the coaches, we’re getting more comfortable with each other every single day, responding to them, challenging us. As players, we’re getting closer every day and building our connection. I think that’s one thing Coach Johansen is big on, his connections, and just building those through tough days like today and battling against the offense. It’s been fun. We’ve been getting better every day.”

The first-year coordinator from South Dakota described the unit’s progression as “right on track,” while also noting that it will be a slow process to get everyone fully up to speed.

“I think their minds are wrapping around it really well,” Johansen said at his press conference on Tuesday. “I feel good about our staff’s ability to wrap their minds around it really well, and so far, feel good, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Davis raved about his new coordinator, describing him as a “challenger,” and wanting to bring the best out of anybody he encounters, whether coaches, players, or anyone else in his path.

“He’s a lot similar to Coach Schiano, in my opinion,” said Davis. “He just wants to bring the best out of everybody, and he knows we have a high ceiling as a defense, and he’s raising the standard for sure.”

The defense has brought together several newcomers — particularly on the defensive line — from all different backgrounds. J’Dan Burnett came in from Tulsa, and previously Louisiana Tech, on the outside. On the interior, Rondo Porter continues his journey around college football, and Doug Blue-Eli enters his second year in the program after missing all of the 2025 season with an injury.

Then there are the young guns. The Scarlet Knights have two second-year players in particular with high ceilings who could contribute this year, in RJ Johnson Jr. and Wydeek Collier-Johnson. Some of the biggest growth in the two has come from absorbing experience from the veterans.

“I think they have a great ability to take information,” said Davis. “From the day I stepped on campus, they kind of saw me as an older guy. I mean, it’s my fifth year in college football, so I’ve been around the block a little bit, and they’ve been definitely receptive of anything I try to help them out with, or anything the coaches [do]. Their coachability is very high, which is going to make their ceiling as high as they want to make it.”

The entire unit has continued to mesh as the winter workouts came and went, now with spring practices fully in swing. Davis, originally a native of Holt, Michigan, took a couple of weeks to fully acclimate to life in New Jersey.

“The traffic was another thing that kind of took a while to get adjusted to,” he quipped. “But in terms of Rutgers, and the coaching staff and the support staff here, they’ve made this process — in terms of football and school — as easy as it can be.”

He is also a self-proclaimed fan of two different Mexican restaurants in particular. Guac Time on Easton Avenue — one of almost 20 locations in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, though just two in the Garden State — has become a new favorite. Popular chain Qdoba, on the other hand, caught Davis’ eye immediately, even if it isn’t local to the area itself.

“I’ve been getting that at least three times a week!” he said with a laugh.