There’s more to life than football. The sport is a privilege, not a guarantee; only a handful maybe understand this better than a cancer survivor who fought battles far greater than anything to do with football. The word is, Jeremy Davis out of San Diego is finally getting a second chance to pursue his football dream after battling cancer.

In the summer of 2023, Jeremy Davis was a healthy kid playing for Helix High in California until he suddenly felt like he had a terrible case of food poisoning.

“I thought I was just sick,” Davis recalled. “I was throwing up a lot. My mom took me to the hospital, and in the emergency room, they took some blood.”

The result of that blood test didn’t do any favors for his anticipated sophomore season.

It turned out to be a very aggressive blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. When his family finally rushed him to the ER, his white blood cell count was at 250,000, which is about 50 times higher than it should be.

The doctors were blunt about his daunting situation. They told him that his organs were starting to fail. And if he had waited just one or maybe even two more days to come in, he most probably wouldn’t have survived this.

Jeremy had to spend six months living in the hospital. He had to go through five rounds of chemotherapy that were so fierce they made his kidneys stop working for a bit. He had to be on a dialysis machine 24 hours a day just to stay alive.

His weight was all over the place, too. At one point, he dropped down to a tiny 139 pounds. But shortly afterward, he ballooned up to 210 pounds because his body was holding onto so much fluid.

However, by the time 2024 rolled around, Jeremy was officially cancer-free. And apparently, he was just starting from zero physically. He spent the entire year hitting the gym and eating right just to play the game of football. He eventually bulked up to a solid 220 pounds and grew to 6’1″ tall.

However, the return wasn’t easy at all. “I definitely appreciated it more, but there were struggles,” said Davis. “I had some severe back problems early on from all the hitting because I had spent so much time lying down. But I loved it and loved being back out there. I got back relatively quickly, and when I got the clear, I was a little weaker than I thought I was going to be. But I just appreciated being back, so I worked diligently”

After adjusting to his new life, Davis finally got back on the field for the 2024–2025 season and played his heart out.

The scouts definitely noticed his hard work and what he had to overcome. He’s now ranked as a 3-star recruit and one of the top 100 linebackers in the entire country. So far, six different colleges have offered him a full scholarship.

His first big offer came from Boise State on January 31, which was a dream come true because his older brother, Trevor, is already a player there. Head coach Spencer Danielson is a San Diego native and has been eyeing him for a while.

“It was great, and it was one of the best moments of my life,” said Davis. “It was really cool. My brother goes there, and he was on my junior day visit with me. It was emotional for me.”

Within the next few weeks after that, his hometown program, San Diego, extended a scholarship offer. From there, he then started to receive offers from programs like Cal Poly, Fresno State, Sacramento State, Texas State, and New Mexico. According to On3, he has four official visits lined up (Fresno State on May 29, Boise State on June 11, San Diego State on June 18, and New Mexico on June 6).

However, there are still plenty of programs that are planning to evaluate Davis during this spring season, and hopefully he gets a couple more offers.

What’s next for him?

Last month, he stood out at the Phoenix Under Armour Next Combine, where he impressed coaches and scouts with his performance. He was named the top linebacker at the event, which earned him one of the limited spots at the UA Next the following day.

In his junior season at Helix, he finished with 94 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. But he cares about more than just numbers. He has become a leader on his team and wants to help people in the community too. He hopes to volunteer, maybe at a children’s hospital, and use his voice to inspire others.

He also thinks a lot about how far he has come after beating leukemia. Things like team meals and school visits mean more to him now. He remembers the tough times in the hospital and sees his past as something that made him stronger. It pushes him to keep going and make the most of his future.