It’s been a busy few months for Davin Davidson.
The Cardinal Mooney quarterback spent most of last season rated as a 3-star prospect, leading the Cougars to a 14-1 record and Class 2A state championship in December.
Davidson had a handful of Division I offers at the end of his junior season from the likes of North Carolina State, Toledo, and Northwestern. Then came the Elite 11 Regionals in January.
Davidson put on a masterclass at the quarterback camp, winning the ‘Alpha Dog’ award and drawing the attention from coaches across the country. Within two weeks of the standout performance, Miami, Florida, and FSU were among the nearly two dozen schools to extend an offer to the 6-foot-7 signal caller. He quickly rose in the national rankings to a composite 4-star and premier quarterback prospect in the nation.
By February, his offer list included Georgia, Notre Dame, Auburn, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. More elite performances on the camp circuit, including quarterbacks MVP at Under Armour Orlando, only boosted his stock.
“It’s been crazy for sure,” he said. “It all happened really fast, just with visits and phone calls and everything. Just taking the time to break everything down was really big for me and my family to find out where the school for me was. We definitely took our time with that and made sure we made the right decision.”
Davidson narrowed down his lists of finalists to Georgia, Kentucky, and Auburn, and Florida before committing to the Gators on April 9. He was also named a finalist for the coveted Elite 11 Finals in California, a prestigious camp that has long been the crown jewel of quarterback competition nationally.
Four months ago, Davidson reported just two Power-4 offers. Now midway through his last season of spring football, he’s ranked as the No. 17 overall player in the USA TODAY Florida Top 100 and No. 1 QB, is committed to Florida, and is the only quarterback from the Sunshine State to earn an invite to the Elite 11 Finals.
“I was blessed with the opportunity to go down and compete at the Elite 11 regionals in Miami and I really made a name for myself there,” he said. “Seeing that paid off at the regional was awesome, I’m excited to go and compete at the Finals.”
Quarterbacks are typically recruited on a different timeline than most prospects. Premier signal callers often commit in their junior season and are less apt to wait to make a decision, but Davidson was not considered a premier recruit until after his junior season – a campaign that saw him toss for 2,360 yards and 23 touchdowns and win a ring in his first year as the starter.
The result was an accelerated recruitment for Davidson as high majors laid it on thick for the rising senior. Instead of playing the process out, he committed to Florida just a few months after receiving their offer (which was among dozens that were rolling in).
“Oh, (it feels) way better,” he said. “Part of my reasoning of making my decision in early April was so that I could be with my team throughout all of spring, and summer, and fall without having any outside distractions. But the process was definitely accelerated, for sure. It’s a huge relief off of me and my parent’s shoulders. (I’m) really glad that I made the decision early.”
The Gators’ new regime under Jon Sumrall has been a favorite among recruits, and landing Davidson was a tone-setter for the new staff. Florida made it clear to Davidson he was a priority this cycle, and quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock was in Sarasota for an in-home visit as recently as April 31.
For Davidson, the relationship with the staff is what got the Gators across the finish line. It’s a reoccurring theme we’ve been hearing from recruits since Sumrall has arrived.
“It’s awesome, relationships were a really big thing for me when choosing a college,” he said. “And they never really stopped from the day they got hired. That meant a lot, just constant communication with the whole staff — offensive staff, defensive staff, special teams coordinators. No matter who it is they’re all communicating, and I’m excited to get up there and see them all in person on my (official visit).”
Now entering his senior campaign at Mooney, Davidson is focused on making the most of his last year at the helm of the Cougar offense. With minimal distractions and a decision made, he says he’s ready for a title defense season.
“Foot on the gas still, there’s another state championship to win,” he said. “Obviously, I’m really excited to get to Florida, but I’m not looking past this season. I’m just ready to get after it with the guys we have and grow through this spring and summer. Then game time in the fall.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Davin Davidson’s meteoric rise to Florida QB commit, Elite 11 Finalist
Reporting by Nick Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
