With coaching experience at multiple NCAA levels, Peter Davila enters his fourth season as the defensive backs coach.
Davila mentored only the second consensus First-Team All-American in program history last year in Lamont McPhatter II. He was selected the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year and was named the top defensive player in the region by multiple organizations. McPhatter led the entire country in interception return yards, ranked third on the team in tackles and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns.
As a defensive unit, the Vulcans finished second in the PSAC last season in passing defense by allowing only 189.8 yards per game. Cal U also scored a league-best four defensive touchdowns and registered 17 interceptions with 13 by the secondary.
In his first year with the program, Davila worked with a unit that helped the Vulcans lead the PSAC in passing defense at 176.2 yards per game. Cal U surrendered just 13 passing touchdowns during the season, while ranking eighth in the nation in scoring defense at 16.7 points per game. Davila worked with three All-PSAC West selections in 2016 with Aaron Terry earning All-America honors.
Davila spent the 2015 season as the safeties coach at James Madison after spending three years on the coaching staff at Otterbein (Ohio). He also served on the staff at Capital (Ohio) and completed a trio of internships with NFL franchises through the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Program.
In 2015, Davila helped the Dukes finish with a 9-3 overall record and make a consecutive appearance in the FCS Playoffs, their third in five years. James Madison also finished with a share of the title in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), marking its first league title since 2008. Davila helped mentor All-CAA Second-Team safety Raven Greene, who finished third on the team with 88 tackles and registered two interceptions as a junior.
Davila completed internships with the Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans after being selected for the Bill Walsh Program. In 2013, he spent time with the Vikings and worked alongside Fred Pagac and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary. The following year, Davila served with the Texans and John Butler and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. He most recently completed an internship working with the special teams of the Titans during their 2018 training camp and worked alongside Craig Aukerman and Matt Edwards. This winter, Davila attended the NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy in Tampa, Florida, with the event focusing on educating and training football coaches at the college and professional levels.
A native of Miami, Florida, Davila spent two years at Otterbein as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator following a year as a graduate assistant. In 2012, the Cardinals finished with an 8-2 overall record – a five-win improvement from the previous year – with both losses coming against Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) teams that made the NCAA Playoffs. Davila helped develop All-OAC Second-Team linebacker Chad Pepper, who ranked second on the team with 48 tackles and also recorded 3.5 sacks. As the special teams coordinator at Otterbein, he worked with a unit that led the league in kickoff returns in 2014 behind an OAC-best average of 26.2 yards per kickoff return by Tyler Hammond.
Davila won a pair of national championships at the NCAA Division I-AA level while at Youngstown State from 1994-97. He played both defensive back and linebacker for the Penguins under then-head coach, and now university president, Jim Tressel. As a senior in 1997, Davila finished fourth on the team with 70 tackles and was selected the Ron Stoops Inspirational Player by his teammates.
Following college, Davila spent one season as the linebackers coach at Wofford (S.C.) at the NCAA Division I-AA level before transitioning to high school coaching. He coached high school in Ohio at East Cleveland Shaw and Richmond for nearly a decade before returning to the college level in 2011 at Capital. While with the Crusaders, he worked with the linebackers and helped develop All-OAC First-Team selection Troy Spiker, who finished third in the league with 108 tackles.
Davila earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Youngstown State in 1998. He resides in Washington, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Emily, and their two daughters, Gabriella – a student at Cal U – and Kylie.
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