The football gods giveth, and the football gods taketh away.
Imani Christian linebacker Dayshaun Burnett is now Penn State linebacker Dayshaun Burnett. But promising sophomore cornerback Gabe Jenkins is now four-star junior cornerback Gabe Jenkins with offers from Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia, among others. And the Saints bring back Penn State commit David Davis, a safety, for his senior season.
So, coach LaRoi Johnson can’t complain too much. After all, as recently as 2019, Imani didn’t win a game. In 2022, Johnson’s first season, the Saints won four games. Last year, they won 11, with their only loss coming in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals to eventual champion Avonworth, the PIAA runner-up.
If Imani is to take that next big step, to the WPIAL championship game at Acrisure Stadium, and then win it, it will be because Jenkins and Davis live up to their expectations, on and off the field.
“I’ve got to step up as a leader,” said Davis (6-0, 190), who will play running back on offense. “It comes natural to me a little bit, but there’s parts of it I have to work on.”
Davis accounted for the Saints’ only points in their 14-6 loss to Avonworth, sprinting 81 yards for a touchdown. Jenkins (6-1, 187) joins Davis in the backfield, replacing the graduated Stephen Vandiver at quarterback. He could also see action at wide receiver and running back.
“I’m a playmaker,” said Jenkins, who projects as a press cornerback in college with his big frame. “I make it all happen.
“If you need me anywhere, hey, I play that position well. If you need me at safety, I’ll play it. If you need me at linebacker, I’ll play it.”
Ask him to whom he compares himself, and he struggles to answer.
“As in, like, pro?”
Anybody, the reporter clarifies.
He responds: “Not really — me.”
He exudes the classic confidence of a quarterback and shutdown corner.
“I think Gabe doesn’t mind letting you know about himself, and I think that’s a good thing,” Johnson said.
The experts back up the self-evaluation. Jenkins is rated as the best cornerback in Pennsylvania in the 2027 class, and the third overall, by the 247 Sports recruiting website. Nationally, he is 60th.
“He is an elite athlete,” Johnson said, “so we want him to have the opportunity to touch the ball on any given play.”
At quarterback, he will get that opportunity. The transition remains a work in progress.
“We feel confident about it,” Johnson said. “He’s excited about it.”
Few high school teams feature the athleticism the Saints do in the backfield and secondary with Davis and Jenkins. It’s no exaggeration to say the one-two punch gives Imani a chance to be one of the most prolific offenses in the WPIAL.
Like Jenkins, Davis will line up all over.
“He’ll play pretty much every position on offense except offensive line,” Johnson said. “You’ll see him do some Wildcat stuff, as well.”
Davis isn’t the talker that Jenkins is, but their combined energy fuels the Saints.
“They feed off of each other,” Johnson said. “Their personalities are different, but yet when they come on the field they have a real understanding about taking it up another level.
“That’s the one thing we’re trying to get everybody to understand — how well these guys compete. And I think we have the kind of team this year that will match their same energy.”
Da’Juan “DJ” Craighead, another imposing junior, “is set to have a breakout season,” Johnson said. Like Jenkins a year ago, he enters the season unrated by the major recruiting services. With offers from West Virginia, Duke and Sacramento State already in hand, he is unlikely to end it that way.
The leader up front is senior defensive lineman Will Gorman, who is committed to Youngstown State. Junior Davon Johnson lacks offers but deserves them, coach Johnson (no relation) said.
Seniors Anthony Portis and Darius Clark also have offers from Division II schools, Johnson added, and are poised to emerge.
The ascension of Imani Christian’s football program under Johnson comes against the unique backdrop of the faith-based school itself. Founded in 1993, it has an average enrollment of only about 150 students in grades pre-K through 12. Located in Wilkinsburg, Imani’s students come from across Allegheny County. Most are African American, and many come from difficult circumstances.
“My home life wasn’t as easy as others,” said Davis, who has three brothers and three sisters and is being raised by a single mom, Shani Watson.
“This school helped me stay on track,” added Davis, who carries a 3.87 GPA. “Off the field, people around me — family — they made sure I wouldn’t be in dumb situations.”
One more year, and he will join Burnett and his next support system in State College.
“I like the way Penn State takes care of Penn State. … They keep it in the family — they keep everybody as one,” said Davis, who is listed as an athlete by 247 Sports and thinks the Nittany Lions will look at him at safety first.
Until then, he has some unfinished business. Falling to Avonworth in the WPIAL semifinals — the Antelopes lost to Northwest Lehigh, 36-33, in overtime in the PIAA championship game — still frustrates him.
“We thought we beat ourselves that game. … As a team, we didn’t step up and do what we needed to do,” Davis said. “This year is going to be completely different.”
Johnson began testing his team early, and the early returns were encouraging. The Saints won 7-on-7 tournaments at Ohio State and Fairmont State (W.Va.) this summer.
“We got so close, and I think the guys are really motivated to finish the job,” Johnson said.
Rob is an associate sports editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.