By Robert Wilson
Ridgeland High senior Ayden Williams, considered the top wide receiver in Mississippi and one of the top in the country, received dozens of scholarship offers from colleges, including eight from the SEC, before deciding on Ole Miss last month.
There’s another rising star on Ridgeland’s team, who will likely be getting attention from colleges soon after what he did last Friday night.
Ridgeland sophomore quarterback Garrison Davis completed 24 of 43 passes for a career-high 536 yards and five touchdowns in the Class 5A Titans’ 39-14 victory over Class 6A Pearl.
For his outstanding performance, Davis has been named the Junction Deli Metro Jackson Football Player of the Week.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Davis completed three TD passes to Williams, who had seven catches for 255 yards and caught TD passes of 69, 61 and 34 yards. Davis also completed two TD passes to Richard Powell of 64 and 40 yards.
Davis completed 11 of 17 passes for 210 yards and two TDs in Ridgeland’s 29-27 victory over Class 6A Northwest Rankin in the season opener.
His average of 373 passing yards per game would rank No. 2 in the country by MaxPreps, but a player must have played three games to qualify to be in the rankings.
The Mississippi record is held by Amory’s Forest Williams, who passed for 646 yards in 2011. Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s Philip Short passed for 593 yards in 2019. St. Stanislaus’ Dylan Favre, nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, had the Mississippi record with 562 yards in 2009 before Williams broke it.
Davis was the backup quarterback to Landon Varnes at Brandon last season as a freshman. Davis transferred to Ridgeland when his father, Shaun, left his assistant coaching position at Provine to take the wide receivers coach position at Ridgeland earlier this year. Davis completed 5 of 7 passes for 38 yards and ran seven times for 21 yards last season for Brandon, which finished 11-3 and was the 6A state runner-up.
Davis is ranked No. 3 in Mississippi and No. 60 in the country for pro style quarterbacks in the Class of 2025 by qbhitlist.com.
“Garrison made some great reads Friday, and took advantage of what the defense gave him,” second-year Ridgeland coach Teddy Dyess said. “His presence and ability to keep his eyes downfield are what makes him exceptional. I think he can potentially be the best quarterback in the state if he keeps improving.”
“Garrison is a special player and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coaching him over the last few months,” first-year Ridgeland offensive coordinator Caleb Shufelt said. “To only be a sophomore, he understands how to practice and prepare week in and week out. He asks the right questions and is able to apply what he knows under pressure. Garrison’s performance Friday night was no surprise. I’m excited to watch him grow over the next few months and coming years.”
Davis’ numbers Friday night brought back memories of another Titan quarterback, 2020 PriorityOne Bank Metro Jackson Player of the Year Zy McDonald, now a redshirt freshman quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette. McDonald passed for a school record 3,252 yards and 25 TDs as a junior and 2,984 yards and 35 TDs as a senior. The four-year starter passed for 10,852 yards and 100 TDs and ran for 1,631 yards and 24 TDs during his career.
Ridgeland plays at Jim Hill Thursday night at South Jackson Field.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a football player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276 or email [email protected].
