BEMIDJI 鈥� Neal Davis knew what he was looking for in his next college coaching stop.
The former graduate assistant at Wake Forest was informed that he would need to seek a new career move after his two-year stint as the Demon Deacons鈥� offensive line graduate assistant came to an end. He scoured openings across the country, searching for the right fit.
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The father of two young sons, Davis found that opening in Bemidji. So he packed up his life and drove double-digit hours to northern Minnesota, settling into his first stint solely in charge of an offensive line. He is also serving as Bemidji State鈥檚 new recruiting coordinator, filling both roles occupied by former BSU coach Dylan Chmura.
鈥淚 was trying to look for the best opportunity for me and my family,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 grew up in Ohio. I love the Midwest. I love coaching Midwest kids. My wife's from Ohio too. We鈥檙e Midwest people, so the location for us was really good. We felt like we fit into the culture here in Bemidji, in the town.
鈥淎s far as football, I really felt like the blue-collar mentality of (head coach Brent Bolte鈥檚) program fit me to a T. That's what I believe in, having a blue-collar mentality of outworking people. But in addition, the offense here has been really good for a long time, and they've got a nice little tradition of offensive line play going. I felt like that would feed my strengths as a coach.鈥�
Davis played center at Division II University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, for four seasons, starting 46 games. He was named UF鈥檚 Male Athlete of the Year in 2020.
He served as a GA on Wake Forest鈥檚 staff in 2022 and 2023, honing his approach to the offensive line craft. Now in his first job fully in charge, Davis has a three-point plan for Bemidji State鈥檚 O-linemen.
鈥淲e want to play hard, we want to play smart, we want to play together,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking for guys that play extremely hard and they have a mentality with the way they play, because at the end of the day, the offensive line is the engine of the offense. And a lot of times, your offensive line is the identity of the team.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to play extremely hard, extremely physical. We're going to try to leave our footprint everywhere we go, and we're going to try to motivate and lead others around us to play the same way. We're going to be hopefully finishing guys in the ground, getting pancakes and stuff. Hopefully, that's firing up the defensive line and the linebackers.鈥�
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Davis almost didn鈥檛 make it to Bemidji. He was in the Atlanta airport awaiting a flight to another job interview when he found out about the Bemidji State opening. Quickly, it became clear that BSU was his preferred next stop.
鈥淚 had a buddy text me about this (job), and I saw it online,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楬eck, I'll throw my name in the hat.鈥� I didn't know anybody here, which is uncommon in this profession. Usually you have a buddy on the staff, a guy that hooks you up. Coach (Karson) Pike, the offensive coordinator here, called me two days later and we had a very good conversation.
鈥淚 was fortunate enough to get a Zoom interview the next week, and the next thing I know, I was offered the job a day later. I called my wife, and I was like, 鈥榊ou want to do this?鈥� She was like, 鈥楲et's do it.鈥� So we moved our family, our two little boys and two little dogs to Bemidji, Minnesota, 15 hours from home. We're super excited to be here.鈥�
Much as he was recruited to Bemidji by Bolte and Pike, Davis will now take charge of the Beavers鈥� recruiting efforts as a whole. He has a lot to sell, as BSU has reached unprecedented heights in the past three seasons.
鈥淵ou have to be very organized and have great ideas of how you want to sell recruits,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淵ou need to have a plan, a strategic plan. It really all starts with having a macro and micro scope. You need to have stuff you're doing at the program level that everybody's doing, from how you're evaluating prospects to how you're communicating, recruiting those prospects, how you're going to summer camps, how you're doing business. That's at the macro level.
鈥�(On the) micro scale, I鈥檓 recruiting offensive linemen. Recruiting鈥檚 all work. You can outwork people in recruiting. Is it phone calls, is it writing letters, sending graphics, DMing kids? You can out-recruit people. As the recruiting coordinator, I'm looking at more of the macro level. As the offensive line coach, I have to control my area. I have to sign four to six offensive linemen a year.鈥�
Davis noted that Bemidji State generally evaluates prospective recruits off the film from their junior seasons, much as the FCS schools in the Midwest do. Coming from an FBS environment at Wake Forest, Davis feels well-suited for the challenge of building upon the Beavers鈥� success.
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鈥淔rom a football standpoint, I fit the mold here,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚'm a Big Ten guy. I'm a gap scheme, power/counter offensive line coach. I know this type of football, I know this area of football. So I felt like football-wise, I would fit better in the Midwest, recruiting Midwest kids.
鈥淟astly, the family piece was very easy. I felt like my family would enjoy it up here more, we would be more comfortable up here. I felt very confident raising a family in Bemidji. Living in the country, I grew up in rural Ohio. The family aspect was really what made my decision. I felt like we would succeed better and we鈥檇 have more fun as a family up here.鈥�
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