New defensive line coach Darius Davis preaching “DAWGS” mentality
- Tom Weber
- Aug 13
- 7 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Long before he joined SIU’s coaching staff, defensive line coach Darius Davis coined the phrase “DAWGS” mentality as his coaching mantra.
“It stands for Discipline in the details, Accountability, the Will and want to, the Grit, and then Selflessness,” Davis explained. “All those things are what I want our players to embody. It's kind of funny I came to SIU, because everything around here is Dawgs, but it means something special to our D-Line room.”
Davis believes he has the right mix of all those essential qualities in this year’s unit.
“The thing I love about this group, is that you have different tools you can use, it's not the same guy, carbon copies,” he said. “All these guys are different, and they add some value in different ways, and it's my job to put them in the best position to be successful.”
When fans watch the team this year, Davis hopes the defensive line’s play grabs peoples’ attention with relentless effort, hustling to the ball, never giving up — in short a DAWGS mentality.
Defensive End profiles, with comments from Coach Davis
#9 Donnie Wingate, 6-3, 250, Senior
Oklahoma native who began his career at Oklahoma State, transferred to FCS Lindenwood where he totaled 7.5 sacks, 14.0 tackles for loss.
“He brings lots to the table — physicality, his mindset. That's one thing I love about him is his mindset. He’s going to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He wants to be in the NFL, so his mind says I have to be the best every day, I can't come out here and mess around. I have to improve every day.”
#20 Jake Parrella, 6-2, 255, Senior
Transferred to SIU from Oregon State two years ago…Had 14 tackles in 11 games as a rotational player in 2024.
“He's infectious with his energy. He's the one that gets everyone going. When there's a big play to be made, he just happens to be there every time. He's like an Energizer bunny. He doesn't stop. He could be in there for 30 plays in a row, he’s going to figure out a way to stay on the field.”
#11 Vontrell Chairse, 6-3, 240, Senior
A former 3-star recruit who came to SIU a year ago from Toledo...Played in 9 games in 2024 and made 16 tackles with 2.5 TFL and 1.0 sack.
“He’s a pleasant surprise for me right now. You usually say your senior year is your best year, and being a senior, I was hoping that senior bug hits him. He shows up every day and does everything we ask him, he's always going to be in the right place, he's going to make the right decisions every time, the right reads. He makes sure everybody’s in the right spot.”
#13 Camron Miller, 6-3, 250, Sophomore
Transferred to SIU from Fresno City College where he played in six games a year ago.
“He's learning how to operate at this level. I played juco ball, so it's definitely a big difference when you go from a two-year to a four-year — how you lift, how you eat, just your day-to-day is totally different. He’s starting to see the growth. Every day, he picks up one thing that he's better at. I think you’re going to hear his name more and more as a weeks go by as he learns our defense and how we do things.”
#56 Nate Tronzo, 6-4, 255, Redshirt Freshman
Got to play in one game in 2024 at South Dakota State…An all-state HS player from Louisville, Ky.
“Tronzo works his butt off. He's fiery now. He goes zero to 100 very fast. It's about challenging him and making sure that he channels that energy in the correct way. He's dominant in the run game and just starting to evolve in the pass game. The thing you're going to see on Saturdays is his fire. His energy is infectious when he's out there making plays.”
#49 Max Bremer, 6-3, 260, Sophomore
From Massac County High School, he played in nine games for SIU in 2024, mainly on special teams.
“He's from a farm town, so he's going to work his butt off, not going to say much, but whatever you need him to do, he's going to do it, and he can do it 100 miles per hour. If you tell him to run through a wall, he's going to do it. You can see him starting to get it, starting to click for him. He's the guy that, if we're in a foxhole, I'm taking him with me.”
#40 Lukus McDaniels, 6-6, 250, Redshirt Freshman
Louisville native with just just two-and-a-half years of organized football experience in high school.
“Lukus can be a big-time player. He needed to get bigger and stronger, and worked his butt off this summer, so now you’re starting to see that come to fruition in practice. He has all the talent in the world, it’s just about him figuring it out, and then the sky's the limit.”
Defensive Tackle profiles, with comments from Coach Davis
#90 Peyton Reeves, 6-2, 305, Senior
Has played in 29 career games at SIU and totaled 46 tackles, 2.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks.
“He’s the anchor of the D-line, our load in the middle, the guy that I expect, when it's a run, they can't run against him. That's his mindset. When he's in there, no one should be allowed to run in-between the tackles, because he should eat up blocks. He's a big-time leader in our room. I lean on him with a lot of things.”
#10 Bernadin Fleurima Jr., 6-0, 292, Senior
Came with Coach Davis from Robert Morris, where he played in 31 games in three seasons with 42 career tackles.
“He's the guy that comes into the room and everybody smiles. He's going to come in with a big smile. I've been coaching him for four years, so he knows how I operate, which is huge, because now he's able to translate what I mean to some of the other guys. I’ve never had a harder worker than Bernie. Ever. He’s someone, when he plays with Peyton at the same time, it's hard to run against those two guys. Really look forward to him creating havoc in the middle.”
#99 Caden Reeves, 6-3, 285, Senior
Younger brother of Peyton, he has played in 21 career games at SIU and made 27 tackles.
“I didn't get to see him play because he had a surgery in the spring, but he worked his butt off in the summer to get back to 100 percent. He's starting to rev it up now. He's smart and picks up things very fast. His football intelligence is very high. He's been steady in the past, but we need him to be a guy, you know? I'm really excited for him and his opportunity this year.”
#98 Noah Friedt, 6-2, 280, Senior
An All-Conference Pioneer League player in 2024, who totaled 51 tackles, 9.0 sacks and 17.5 TFL in 26 career games at St. Thomas (2021-24).
“His game is physical. He loves being in the battle. He likes being in there and knocking guys back with a very quick first step. It’s going to be interesting to see how he grows within this defense, as he can play a three technique, and he can play the nose. He's also smart, has seen a lot of football, and I'm going to lean on him a lot.”
#94 Amir Dwight, 6-1, 272, Sophomore
Played in all 12 games for SIU as a redshirt freshman in 2024 and made 13 tackles.
“Amir is an exciting player, and I’ve been challenging him to do more. He's going to be more of the quick-twitch, more explosive type of player in the middle. He's very smart and very twitchy. He can be that lightning in the bottle like we saw in the scrimmage, who jumps off the page because he was able to use his explosiveness in a couple plays.”
#88 Kaden Lewis, 6-2, 290, Redshirt Freshman
Played in one game at Ohio Dominican in 2024 and redshirted.
“I actually started recruiting him when he was a freshman in high school. He's going to add more depth for us, but also some youth. He’s one of those guys that I want to learn from the older guys, and as the season goes on, I think you're going to see more and more of him. This level is a little bit faster, guys a little bit stronger, so he has to have pad leverage, but he’s a very physical player who played both sides of the ball in high school.”
Practice 12 Insiders Notebook
