GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Life is harder when you're the younger sibling. As the youngest football program in the conference, Davenport has been building a culture and took a major step forward last season.
DU finished last year with a program best eight wins, earning their first ever playoff birth.
The 8-0 start was muddied by the 0-3 finish, with all three losses coming to the national champion Ferris State Bulldogs and GLIAC-winning Lakers.
“I really like what the Georgia head coach always says: ‘We’re never being hunted. We’re always the hunter,' Davenport senior quarterback Jason Whitaker said. "For us, I think attacking every day, even if it’s workouts in the morning, film prep, our mindset is attack.”
It showed Davenport how far they have to go to compete with those two championship level programs. But it's a fight the Panthers aren't backing down from.
“Our guys know ultimately that when you play this game, you play to win championships," Davenport head football coach Sparky McEwen said. "That’s what we want. Do we talk about that at our place? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t we? When I go in and recruit young people, I talk championships. That’s our ultimate goal: ‘why not us?’”
Last year, the Panthers were picked to finish last in the GLIAC preseason coaches poll. This year, fresh off the program's first playoff appearance, Davenport was voted to finish third.
The team also sent a player to an NFL training camp for the first time this offseason. Former Davenport wide receiver Sy Barnett signed with the New Orleans Saints.
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