To say Davis Brin is a perfectionist is an understatement. On the football field, academically, or in other areas.
For example, that B he made in his first semester at TU still bugs him.
"I got one B in undergrad - I was a little bit frustrated. I wanted to get a 4.0," Brin said. "Political Communications in that first semester, which had nothing to do with my major."
A Finance major, Brin has done so well in the classroom that he has already graduated in just three and half years with all A's except for that one B when he was an early enrollee in the Spring of 2018. In high school, his overall average was 106 on a 100 point scale.
After three and a half years at TU, Brin is already working on his MBA. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound Brin was well equipped for college in all areas coming out of Boerne (TX) Champion High school, where he passed for 6,650 yards and 58 touchdowns in his career as a starter his last two seasons.
Amazingly not recruited highly out of Boerne (population 18,000), located 31 miles southeast of San Antonio, Brin has multiple attributes necessary to be successful, including a strong arm, a quick release, mobility, athletic ability (tied the school record of 6'-4" in high jump), intelligence, integrity, confidence and leadership, to name a few.
Brin's leadership was evident during the Tulane game last season - the game that has given Tulsa fans so much excitement about his future at TU. Although it is the only substantial game experience for Brin at TU, it was certainly an extraordinary eye-opener for all observers.
Inheriting a 14-0 deficit near the end of the third quarter after quarterbacks Zach Smith and Seth Boomer had been knocked out, Brin came in as the third-stringer and completely transformed the game in a 30-24 double overtime victory where he completed 18 of 28 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns as well as rushing for an 18-yard touchdown.
The 37-yard-Hail Mary to J.C. Santana on the last play of regulation combined with Zaven Collins' 96-yard walk-off interception return to make the Tulane game as dramatic and memorable of any game in TU history.
With Smith having graduated, Brin clearly already has the confidence of his teammates, as evidenced by returning leading receiver Keylon Stokes' comments about Brin during TU's fall media day.
"Davis is a great leader. He takes over the team when he needs to take over," Stokes said. "People listen to him. He took over this team when Zach left, so we look up to him. Where he goes, we go. That's our guy right there. He's a great guy, he's smart, he knows his reads. He's an all around great player."
Even before the Tulane game, Brin's teammates knew he could play.
"The feeling was just, he's in, we trust him," Stokes said of how the team felt when he entered the Tulane game. "He's always been the guy in practice that, once he gets in practice, he doesn't mess up."
Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery had always made it a point to talk up Brin in previous years when talking to the media, always mentioning him along with the more experienced quarterbacks. Montgomery talked about him with a confidence that coaches normally don't talk about quarterbacks down the depth chart.
"I feel very confident in what Davis is going to bring even though he doesn't have a ton of experience here yet," Montgomery said. "I feel good about the direction he's headed."
The 21-year-old Brin is more than confident that he is ready, although he realizes how much he still needs to take in.
"Learning is huge for me because that is what I love to do," Brin said. "We're going to get different looks every day in practice. I've been learning for four years, and I'll continue to learn as long as I'm here."
Tulsa has the luxury of having all of its starting receivers returning as well as starters coming back from every position on offense off a 6-3 team that was ranked for most of last season and made the AAC championship game.
"They're weapons, for sure," Brin said of his receivers. "They know how to get open and when to get open. Timing is a big deal for me, so we've been working on that a lot, so I feel very comfortable and there is a lot of good chemistry we've got going.
"I know those guys have a lot of starts together. They know where to be and what it looks like to execute the plays properly. So they have all that experience and that gives me a lot of confidence. I'm becoming more and more confident every single day."
With all the talent and experience, could this offense set some records at TU?
"We're taking it game by game but I'm definitely expecting an explosive offense this year, for sure," Brin said.
Brin will bring some rare mobility at quarterback for TU, despite being a QB whose reputation is as a passer. His 18-yard touchdown run while scrambling against Tulane showed unquestionable speed as he darted up the field and to the left part of the end zone.
"I definitely don't consider myself a dual threat guy, but I'll be able to run when I need to," Brin explained. "I'll be going through my progressions, if I see some space, I'll be able to run."
Although Brin clearly has shown he can make big plays, he also is an outstanding manager of the game.
"The way I play the game is to operate, that's the big word that comes to mind, operate - to get the ball out of my hands to those weapons that we have as quickly as I can and keep on moving the chains."
Brin showed incredible patience in waiting his turn all these years, but the waiting is about to pay off for him and for Tulsa football.
"I've been preparing like I've been in the game for four years now and being in practice," Brin said. "Not being the starter for three years, I still felt like I was out there getting mental reps and stuff like that. I'm finally able to be that guy."
MORE ON TULSA FOOTBALL:
• Position Analysis - Cornerback
• Position Analysis - Linebacker
• Position Analysis - Defensive Line
• Position Analysis - Special Teams
• Position Analysis - Offensive Line
• Position Analysis - Tight End
• Position Analysis - Wide Receiver
• Position Analysis - Running Back
• Position Analysis - Quarterback
