Akeem Brian Davis-Gaither (born September 21, 1997) is an American professional football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Early life Davis-Gaither attended Thomasville High School in Thomasville, North Carolina. As a senior in 2015, he had 115 tackles with five sacks and also had eight rushing touchdowns as a running back. He committed to Appalachian State University to play college football.https://247sports.com/recruitment/akeem-davis-gaither-45911/recruitinterests/
College career Davis-Gaither played at Appalachian State from 2015 to 2019. As a senior in 2019, he was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year after recording 101 tackles, five sacks and an interception. For his career, Davis-Gaither had 201 tackles, 6.5 sacks and the interception.How Appalachian State’s Davis-Gaither went from afterthought to a top LB in NFL Draft
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals Davis-Gaither was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round with the 107th pick of the 2020 NFL draft. In Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, Davis-Gaither recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Lamar Jackson during the 38–3 loss.
On November 9, 2021, Davis-Gaither was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury in Week 9. In 2022, Davis recorded a career high 46 tackles and his first fumble recovery. He also intercepted a pass in the Bengals wildcard playoff win against the Ravens.
On March 13, 2024, Davis-Gaither signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals.
Arizona Cardinals On March 13, 2025, Davis-Gaither signed with the Arizona Cardinals on a two-year, $11 million contract. He played in all 17 games for Arizona (including 13 starts), finishing second on the team with a career-high 117 tackles.
On March 6, 2026, Davis-Gaither was released by the Cardinals.
Indianapolis Colts On March 18, 2026, Davis-Gaither signed a one-year, $2.725 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2020 CIN 16 2 31 20 11 0.5 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2021 CIN 9 0 28 21 7 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 2022 CIN 16 1 46 30 16 0.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 2023 CIN 13 1 17 10 7 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 CIN 17 7 82 41 41 0.0 4 1 12 12.0 12 0 4 1 0 1 0 0 2025 ARI 17 13 117 51 66 0.0 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 5 1 0 1 0 0Career 88 24 321 173 148 0.5 9 3 12 4.0 12 0 16 3 0 3 3 0
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD 2022 CIN 3 0 6 5 1 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Career 3 0 6 5 1 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
References
External links Indianapolis Colts bio Appalachian State Mountaineers bio