Could Illini’s J.C. Davis Be the NFL’s Next Unstoppable Left Tackle?

The list was composed by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Davis brings a lot to the table, especially durability, reliability and consistency. He’s made 37 consecutive starts across his last two schools, and 2,357 career snaps at left tackle.

As New Year’s Eve, and with it the Citrus Bowl, drew near Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema discussed how he spent his Christmas Eve. He was in Oakland, California, convincing his starting left tackle, J.C. Davis to come play in the bowl game.He was also All-Big Ten third team, according to the coaches vote. Bielema’s yuletide recruiting efforts paid off handsomely, as Davis allowed zero pressures in Illinois’ win over #14 South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl. The bowl game victory broke new barriers for the program, as Davis came up huge against a powerful Gamecocks front seven. His performance in Orlando saw him registering the 7th highest pass-blocking grade for any tackle (minimum 40 snaps) during the postseason period.He’s allowed just two sacks in his last 25 games (1,462 snaps). He’s a prospect rising up the board of 2026 LTs.

Davis spent his first year in college (2021) at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California. He then transferred to New Mexico, where he earned All-Mountain West honorable mention in 2022 and then All-Mountain West first team the next season. He then transferred again, this time to Champaign, where he started all 13 games at left tackle for the Illini last season, earning the team’s newcomer of the year award.And the emphatic statement he made in closing out 2024 has vaulted his prospects for 2025. With his “additional” and final season, Davis has a chance to be dominant, and with it, get selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As the calendar flipped toward New Year’s Eve, a rather unorthodox scene unfolded far from the glitz of the Citrus Bowl stage. Illinois’ head coach Bret Bielema found himself in Oakland, California, not for a lavish holiday retreat but on a mission to secure a key piece for his squad — starting left tackle J.C. Davis. Now, here’s the kicker: Davis, who’s been something of a journeyman in college ball, had been fighting to extend his eligibility. It wasn’t until days after the big game that the NCAA handed down a waiver, allowing this towering 6-5, 320-pound lineman to suit up again in 2025. Seriously, think about that — scouting out talent on Christmas Eve, securing future prospects in the clutch, and watching it pay dividends when Davis went pressure-free against a ferocious South Carolina front seven in the Citrus Bowl. The guy’s journey — from Contra Costa College to New Mexico, then Illinois — reads like a playbook for grit and determination, capped by accolades and near-impenetrable pass protection that caught the eye of Pro Football Focus and the AP All-Bowl Team. With the upcoming season potentially his last collegiate hurrah, Davis is positioned not just to dominate, but to shake up next year’s NFL Draft in a major way. Trust me, this is one story you’ll want to watch closely as it unfolds. LEARN MOREAs a left tackle, he plays a position that NFL teams lace a premium on, and thus has plenty of inherent draft stock. It also helps that the program he plays at has been producing plenty of draft picks lately. On Tuesday, he was one of just 16 OTs named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Outland Trophy, which honors the nation’s best interior lineman.

It wasn’t until January 4, five days after the Citrus Bowl that the announcement came of Davis having eligibility to return in 2025. After 2024 ended, Davis was seeking an additional year of eligibility, and it came via the NCAA granting a blanket waiver to former junior college transfers.That’s according to Pro Football Focus, who scored him an 87.6 for the New Year’s bowl. The dominant performance turned in by the 6-5, 320 pound behemoth landed him on the AP All-Bowl Team.