Jayden Davis is headed to the SEC.
Davis, a sprinter who just finished his junior season at Arizona State, is signing with Arkansas, he told The Arizona Republic.
Davis is coming off a season in which he broke a 58-year-old school record in the outdoor 400 meters in April, running 44.29 seconds. He also won the Big 12 championship in the 400 in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Davis decided to enter the transfer portal on June 16.
At Arkansas, Davis will be working with coach Doug Case and alongside junior Jordan Pierre, who is ranked just ahead of Davis in the 400 at 44.12.
“After talking with coach Case, I really connected with his plan that he had for me,” Davis told The Republic. “I truly believe he can help take me to the next stage of my career. Arkansas also has a strong 400-meter group and I know I would benefit a lot from training alongside those guys.”
Davis, a Phoenix Mountain Pointe alum who also holds the ASU school record for the indoor 400, is the latest Arizona prep to make the move to Fayetteville.
After her freshman season at ASU in 2024, hurdler Saira Prince – a record-breaking Gilbert Williams Field alum who was in the same high school class as Davis – made the decision to transfer from ASU to Arkansas. That decision paid off for Prince, who just finished third at the NCAA Championships.
The men’s and women’s programs are separate at Arkansas, but Davis said his former teammate excelling was hard to ignore.
“Seeing Saira thrive at Arkansas made me realize that it was time for me to make a change,” Davis said. “We’ve been friends for a long time, so it’s definitely a blessing to be teammates once again.”
That now means there will be three former Arizona preps on the roster next year at Arkansas. Recently graduated Chandler senior Imani Galera-Young – who just broke Prince’s 300-meter hurdle state record – has signed with the Razorbacks as well.
The track and field program at ASU is in flux at the moment after the school let go of head coach Dion Miller on June 24 and is currently conducting a national search to find a replacement.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Exclusive: Record-breaking sprinter Jayden Davis leaves ASU for SEC
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