Minnesota DE Davon Townley Opens Up About Penn State

You won’t find many prospects nationally that are on the rise as fast as Minnesota defensive end Davon Townley.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Townley just completed his first season of football. After helping Minneapolis North reach the Minnesota State High School League Class AA state championship, he immediately started playing basketball, the sport he's played his entire life.

Because of that, Townley didn't get around to releasing most of his football highlights until the end of March, but once he did, it took just a few weeks to earn his first scholarship offer. Iowa State became the first Power Five school to offer at the end of April, and it’s been all uphill for Townley ever since.

“This is all new for me,” Townley said. “I didn’t play football until last year. I was always playing basketball. I told [some friends] that if they tried out for basketball, I’d come tryout for football with them. That’s how it all started. I had a pretty good season then and started picking up offers this spring. Recently, there’s been a lot of bigger schools reaching out, so this has come really fast for me.”

Because he’s just now beginning to emerge as a national prospect, Townley wasn’t able to visit schools before the NCAA shut down on-campus visits. He hopes that changes this fall, but in the meantime, he’s been using Zoom to get to know his top contenders better. Penn State got the opportunity to speak with him last week.

“The last time I talked with them we did a Zoom call and I talked to just about everyone there,” Townley said. “I did that with them last week, during the week. I got the chance to watch some film and watch some highlights. I had an hour to talk to them and they lined me up with someone new to talk with probably every 10 minutes. I talked to the person that does all their training and lifting. I talked to most of their coaches.

“We talked about everything. From lifting to school. I was also talking to someone about their alumni network. I learned a lot from that. I asked a lot about their education because that always comes first for me and my family. They were telling me that they can structure everything around how I want to take my classes and learn. It’s all about you there.”

Townley added that the education Penn State provides is one of the first things that comes to mind when he thinks about the school. He also said that friends and those close to the Minneapolis North program have spoken highly of the Nittany Lions.

“For me, I know that they’re one of the top schools as far as education,” he said. “Plus, they’re a really good football program. I want to go somewhere where I can be educated but also play at a school that will develop me and give me a chance to reach my potential. I’ve talked to a lot of people that have told me that Penn State is where it’s at. Everyone tells me that it’s a good place for education. You’ll also get the chance to be drafted if you work hard enough and reach your potential.”

In addition to Penn State, Townley has done extended conversations over Zoom with Minnesota, Iowa State and Michigan State. The two Big Ten schools are among the group he speaks with the most.

“Obviously, I’ve been talking to Minnesota a lot,” he said. “The University of Arizona and also Arizona State have been in touch. Penn State and Michigan State are some other schools. Nebraska is another school. I haven’t been able to talk to all the schools that have offered me because of my phone situation, but the most recent schools that have offered have been talking to me a good amount.”

With no visits to help aid his decision, Townley has made it clear that he’s in no rush. If all goes to plan, he’d like to narrow his list of schools in September or October, then take official visits to his top remaining programs.

“I’ll probably narrow my schools down when the season comes around," Townley said. "I’ll probably narrow it to five schools. I’m still just collecting information and meeting people. I want to take visits and take my time. This is all new for me, so I want to make sure I learn as much as possible.”

Rivals analyst Josh Helmholdt spoke highly of Townley's potential.

"It was a pretty impressive inaugural football campaign for Townley, who seamlessly transferred his basketball athleticism over to the gridiron and showed no issues handling the physical nature of the game," Helmholdt said.

"The biggest period of growth for players who start late in their prep careers usually comes between those first and second seasons. If that kind of stratospheric growth happens here, the entire country will be knocking on Townley's door this fall. He has a sky-high ceiling, and we will be watching his senior season closely."

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