Akeem Davis-Gaither

American football player (born 1997)

American football player

Akeem Davis-Gaither

No. 59 – Cincinnati Bengals

Position:

Linebacker

Personal information

Born:

(1997-09-21) September 21, 1997 (age 26)
Thomasville, North Carolina, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Weight:

228 lb (103 kg)

Career information

High school:

Thomasville (NC)

College:

Appalachian State (2015–2019)

NFL draft:

2020 / Round: 4 / Pick: 107

Career history

Cincinnati Bengals (2020–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year (2019)
First-team All-Sun Belt (2019)
Second-team All-Sun Belt (2018)

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Total tackles:	122
Sacks:	0.5
Forced fumbles:	1
Fumble recoveries:	1
Interceptions:	1
Pass deflections:	7

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Akeem Brian Davis-Gaither (born September 21, 1997) is an American football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Appalachian State.

Early years

Davis-Gaither attended Thomasville High School in Thomasville, North Carolina. As a senior in 2015, he had 115 tackles with five sacks and also had eight rushing touchdowns as a running back. He committed to Appalachian State University to play college football.

College career

Davis-Gaither played at Appalachian State from 2015 to 2019.^[1]^[2] As a senior in 2019, he was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year after recording 101 tackles, five sacks and an interception.^[3]^[4] For his career, Davis-Gaither had 201 tackles, 6.5 sacks and the interception.^[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m)	224 lb (102 kg)	31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m)	9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m)	21 reps
All values from NFL Combine^[6]^[7]

Davis-Gaither was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round with the 107th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.^[8] In Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, Davis-Gaither recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Lamar Jackson during the 38–3 loss.^[9]

On November 9, 2021, Davis-Gaither was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury in Week 9.^[10] In 2022, Davis recorded a career high 46 tackles and his first fumble recovery. He also intercepted a pass in the Bengals wildcard playoff win against the Ravens.

On March 13, 2024, Davis-Gaither signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals.^[11]

References

^ Journal, Ethan Joyce Winston-Salem. "Akeem Davis-Gaither wondered if App State would be the right place for him. Now his patience is paying off". Winston-Salem Journal.
^ By, Steve Behr. "Davis-Gaither gives App State power and quickness at LB". Watauga Democrat.
^ Duprez, Mike. "Davis-Gaither thrilled over award". The Dispatch.
^ Journal, Ethan Joyce Winston-Salem. "No. 21 App State's Darrynton Evans, Akeem Davis-Gaither win Sun Belt offensive and defensive player of the year awards". Winston-Salem Journal.
^ How Appalachian State’s Davis-Gaither went from afterthought to a top LB in NFL Draft
^ "Akeem Davis-Gaither Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^ "Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State, OLB, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
^ Marcum, Jason (April 25, 2020). "Bengals select Akeem Davis-Gaither in Round 4 of 2020 NFL Draft". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ "Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
^ "Bengals Make Four Roster Moves Ahead Of The Bye". Bengals.com. November 9, 2021.
^ "Bengals Re-Sign Akeem Davis-Gaither". Bengals.com. March 13, 2024.