The Bengals' staff coached Davis-Gaither on the South team at the 2020 Senior Bowl, and then selected him in the fourth round of the draft three months later ... Touted by scouts for his speed, motor and instincts at LB, and was known at App State for his outstanding play in big games ... Capped a productive college career in 2019 by being named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year ... Racked up 258 career tackles, including 28 for losses and eight sacks, with 17 pass breakups, an INT, two FFs and a blocked FG ... Topped 100 tackles in each of his final two seasons at App State ... His father, Keith, is longtime assistant coach in the college ranks, and is currently the WRs coach at Army.
Career transactions: Selected by Cincinnati in fourth round of 2020 NFL Draft (107th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 7-21-20.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo says: "He's a tough kid, a coach's son. He's a guy that is going to be the first in and last out of every meeting. We had a situation during the Senior Bowl where the other team ran a power play that he kind of misfit. (Bengals linebackers coach) Al Golden got with him on the sideline, and then in the fourth quarter they run the same play and he fit it perfectly. He's a guy that will work his tail off to do whatever we ask, and he brings a ton of athleticism."
College highlights: Spent five seasons (2015-19) at Appalachian State, with a redshirt year in '15 ... Played in 55 career games and totaled 258 tackles, including 28 for losses and eight sacks, with 17 pass breakups, one INT, two FFs and a blocked FG ... In his five college seasons, he helped App State to a 54-12 record, a 5-0 mark in bowl games and four straight conference titles. 2019—Started all 14 games ... Named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, after notching 104 tackles, including 14.5 for losses and five sacks, along with eight pass breakups, an INT and a blocked FG ... Posted dominant performances in App State's two biggest games — road matchups against North Carolina and South Carolina; in those two contests, he posted a combined 17 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and a sack, with an INT and two additional pass breakups, as well as a game-ending blocked FG at UNC, and forcing a game-ending holding penalty on the final play (at USC) ... Named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week after posting 11 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and a half sack, in win over Louisiana team that entered the contest No. 1 in the nation in rushing ... Posted career-high 16 tackles vs. Georgia Southern. 2018—Started all 13 games ... In first season as full-time starter, he posted team-high 105 tackles, including 10 for losses and 1.5 sacks, with seven pass breakups and two FFs ... Helped defense rank fourth nationally in points per game ... Had three games with at least 14 tackles, including a 15-tackle, one-sack effort in win over Louisiana ... Posted 14 tackles in regular-season finale against Troy that helped App State clinch Sun Belt's East Division title. 2017—Played in all 13 games, with three starts as an injury replacement, and totaled 33 tackles. 2016—Played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman ... Totaled 16 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks, along with a pass breakup. 2015—Redshirted, but did see action in two games (no statistics).
High school: Attended Thomasville (N.C.) High School ... As a senior, totaled 115 tackles, including 33 for losses and five sacks, along with two FFs ... In addition to LB duties, he also played RB and posted eight rushing TDs over his final two seasons ... A multi-sport athlete, he earned three varsity letters in track and field, two in basketball and one in baseball.
Personal: Hometown is Thomasville, N.C. (outside Greensboro) ... Youngest of three siblings ... Father, Keith Gather, is a longtime assistant coach in the college ranks, and is currently the WRs coach at Army.
