Notre Dame transfer Tae Davis picks Oklahoma

Porter Moser and the Sooners have landed their first transfer portal commit: Notre Dame forward Tae Davis, who has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Indianapolis native started his career at Seton Hall before spending the last two seasons in South Bend. As a junior, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 30.2% from three on 1.6 attempts per game.

This past year was widely viewed as a breakout season for Davis, who started all 33 games for the Fighting Irish. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds — a clear jump from his freshman campaign at Seton Hall, where he posted 2.8 points and 2.8 boards per game.

Davis had several standout performances this past season. He scored 27 points against Georgia Tech, adding seven rebounds while shooting 9-16 from the field and 9-10 at the line. He also posted 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists on 9-15 shooting against Houston.

One thing he does especially well is draw fouls. Davis ranked 75th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes at 5.9, which was good for fourth in the ACC. He’ll primarily play the four for Oklahoma but has the versatility to slide to the three in bigger lineups or even the five in small-ball situations.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Tae Davis (7) goes up for a dunk in the first half against the Dartmouth Big Green
Matt Cashore

Stylistically, Davis is a less athletic but better playmaking version of Jalon Moore, whose role he will now fill. He’s not an elite defender, but he holds his own and isn’t a liability on that end.

Offensively, Davis scores most of his points at the rim, where he shot 64.8%, and from the elbow. He’s got a quick first step, can get downhill off the bounce, and offers real playmaking value as a passer.

His three-point percentage won’t blow you away, but Davis is a reliable catch-and-shoot threat with clean mechanics. After going just 9-56 from deep across his first two seasons, he took a step forward as a junior, knocking down 16-53 (30.2%) attempts. Even more encouraging — from February 1st on, he shot 36% from beyond the arc (9-of-25).

He had the ninth-highest usage rate in the ACC last year, so he’s no stranger to being a focal point. Expect Oklahoma to run a lot through him. This is a strong early addition for Moser and the Sooners.

Davis now joins Jeff Nwankwo, Jadon Jones, and Andreas Holst as expected wing contributors next season. He immediately becomes the starting four.

With that box checked, Oklahoma now turns its attention to the backcourt, which is extremely thin behind Dayton Forsythe.

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