New Miami Dolphins DB Ashtyn Davis Became a Ball Hawk Thanks to a Former Miami Coach
Despite limited playing time, new Dolphins safety Ashtyn Davis has made the most of his opportunities, snagging eight interceptions in just 22 starts over five seasons with the New York Jets.
Meeting with the Miami media for the first time this past week, Davis was asked what fuels his playmaking ability. Looking back on his position switch at California, the 2020 third-round pick credited former Dolphins assistant coach Gerald Alexander with shaping his ball-hawking instincts.
“‘G.A.’ was monumental in my development,” Davis said of their three seasons together at California. “I switched from corner to safety around the time that he got there, and the guy would meet with me every single day early in the morning and just got me right.”
Davis earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior, his first season at safety. He snagged four interceptions in 13 games, a jump from just one in 24 games at corner, while also tallying 56 tackles and five passes defended.
He carried that momentum into his senior season with the Golden Bears, landing on the second-team All-Pac-12 roster after career highs in tackles (57), forced fumbles (2), and fumble recoveries (2) in 2019.
“I had an amazing college coach that emphasized getting the football and made that a priority,” Davis said of Alexander. “Whether it’s a run or pass play, I’m just trying to get that football.”
Alexander’s playing career began as a 2007 second-round pick of the Detroit Lions. He spent five seasons in the league, playing two games with the Dolphins in 2011. He started his coaching journey as a student assistant at Arkansas State in 2013 and spent three seasons at California (2017-19). He returned to Miami in 2020 for two seasons as defensive backs coach under Brian Flores.
The Dolphins will be happy to no longer be facing Davis, who recorded four of his eight interceptions for the Jets against Miami. That included his one two-interception game, which came in the 2024 season finale at MetLife Stadium.
“That game was an interesting one,” Davis said. “It was the end of the year, and we knew our playoff hopes were obviously gone so we just went out there and had fun. I think on the second interception I pitched it to D.J. (Reed) and we’d been doing that in practice, they were not happy about it, but we just said we were going to go out there and have fun and we had a blast, and I think it showed. The whole defense was playing loose, and I think, I don’t know – that was definitely up there. That was probably my favorite game that I’ve played in in the league.”
The Dolphins added Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu early in free agency after Jevon Holland agreed to a three-year deal with the New York Giants. Elijah Campbell also re-signed and Patrick McMorris, a sixth-round pick last season, remains in the mix. With 10 picks in the 2025 draft, Miami’s safety room is far from settled.
When asked if he’d help the younger players — specifically McMorris, who was also drafted out of Cal and whose brother was a college teammate — Davis said he plans to follow in Alexander’s footsteps as a mentor.
“I feel like that’s my role as a teammate, is to help other people, especially young guys figure it out in the league,” Davis said. “Your career here a lot of times is very short, so I think you want to maximize that, so I’m here to help guys.”
