After months of turning away head coaching opportunities, the former Arkansas coach has found his next challenge, one that still doesn't require him to carry the weight of an entire program.
By Pete Thamel
For the second consecutive offseason, Porter Davis was one of the most sought-after coaches in football.
And for the second consecutive offseason, he kept saying no.
Over the past two months, Davis quietly declined interview requests from Louisiana-Monroe, Troy and James Madison, according to multiple sources familiar with the searches. Each school viewed the former Arkansas head coach as a legitimate candidate capable of immediately elevating its program, and each was told essentially the same thing.
He appreciated the interest.
He simply wasn't ready.
"I've learned that there's a difference between missing coaching and missing being a head coach," Davis said this week. "I love teaching football again. I love being around players. But running an entire program...I'm just not convinced that's where I'm supposed to be right now."
Instead, Davis has chosen an unexpected next step.
The former National Coach of the Year is joining Jim Harbaugh's newly assembled Los Angeles Chargers staff as a Defensive Quality Control Coach, ending his two-year stint at Air Force while continuing what has become one of the most unconventional coaching comebacks in recent memory.
The title may not grab headlines, but the opportunity certainly does.
Harbaugh personally pursued Davis shortly after accepting the Chargers job, believing his defensive background and reputation as one of football's brightest tactical minds could strengthen an NFL staff loaded with experienced assistants. Rather than oversee his own position group or call plays, Davis will work behind the scenes helping with opponent breakdowns, game planning, film study and defensive research, the same type of detail-oriented work that helped transform Air Force's defense into one of the nation's elite units over the past two seasons.
The timing surprised many around college football, particularly after Davis had already turned away several opportunities to return to the collegiate ranks.
Multiple industry sources confirmed Davis also held preliminary discussions regarding defensive coordinator openings before ultimately withdrawing from consideration. Among the schools believed to have expressed interest were Michigan State under new head coach Jonathan Smith and Indiana after Curt Cignetti assembled his coaching staff. Those conversations never progressed beyond the exploratory stage.
"It wasn't about the schools," one source close to Davis said. "It was about the role. Porter still wasn't ready to jump back into sixty-, seventy-, eighty-hour weeks where every decision rests on your shoulders."
That answer has become remarkably consistent.
When Davis stepped away from Arkansas following his health scare in 2019, some wondered if he would ever coach again. His consulting role at Hawaii in 2021 became a way to reconnect with the game without sacrificing his recovery. His move to Air Force the following season represented another measured step forward, placing him in a more active defensive role while still allowing him to maintain the work-life balance that had become so important after he and his wife, Maya, welcomed their first child.
Over two years in Colorado Springs, Davis left an unmistakable imprint.
Air Force posted consecutive top-10 national defenses, finished first nationally in total defense in 2022 and sixth in 2023, won back-to-back Armed Forces Bowls and twice captured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Players and coaches repeatedly credited Davis for streamlining practice structure, refining situational preparation and introducing defensive concepts that seamlessly complemented head coach Troy Calhoun's established philosophy.
By the end of the 2023 season, Davis' influence had become one of college football's worst-kept secrets.
"If you watched Air Force play defense the last couple years, you knew Porter Davis was back," one Mountain West coach said. "He wasn't calling plays, but his fingerprints were all over that defense."
The NFL had taken notice as well.
Harbaugh and Davis have crossed paths for years, sharing mutual respect through coaching circles and clinics long before either opportunity became realistic. According to sources, Harbaugh presented the Chargers role less as another job and more as a chance to continue Davis' gradual return while exposing him to an entirely different level of football.
That distinction mattered.
"The NFL lets me keep growing," Davis said. "It's football at the highest level, but it's also another opportunity to learn. Right now, that's exciting to me."
It also avoids forcing Davis into making the decision everyone keeps asking about.
Will he ever become a head coach again?
For perhaps the first time since his comeback began, Davis didn't dismiss the possibility.
"I don't know what the future looks like anymore," he admitted. "Two years ago I wasn't sure I'd coach at all. Last year I wasn't sure I'd leave Air Force. Now I'm headed to the NFL. I've stopped trying to predict what's next."
He smiled before adding one final thought.
"I do know this, I love coaching again. That's something I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to say."
Those who know Davis best believe that may be the biggest development of all.
Not because he's accepted another job.
Because, for the first time since leaving Arkansas, it sounds like he's beginning to wonder just how far this journey back might take him.
