Last October, we profiled standout 2023 catcher Taylor Davison from Illinois as a College Bound Jocks Athlete of the Month and, just days later, she committed to Michigan State and then-head coach Jacquie Joseph.
Coach Joseph, however, subsequently retired and, as sometimes happens with coaching changes when new staffs are brought in and have their own recruits and transfers in the pipeline, Taylor was contacted about a month ago by the new Spartans coaches that they were going in a different direction.
Her father, George Davison, catches us up on what happened next.
“Once Taylor heard that and got over that initial shock, she worked with College Bound Jocks to quickly reopen her recruiting. Literally within two hours of hearing the news, CBJ blasted out Taylor’s profile and recruiting video to its massive audience of colleges, and from there things fortunately took off immediately for Taylor.”
The incoming senior had over 500 profile views within a couple of days.
“It was a great rush of positive reinforcement at that time,” her father continues. “Just what she needed.”
Many direct messages, texts, and phone calls later, Taylor had identified a short list of schools that she was interested in and her family hit the road for a couple of long weekends. Quickly, she narrowed her list to a few top schools that needed a ‘23 catcher.
Friday, the search to find her future college home came to an end as Taylor announced she accepted the opportunity to play for Syracuse University and had verbally committed to Coach Shannon Doepking.
— Taylor Davison (@TaylorDavison16) August 21, 2022
“Taylor is so thankful for the outpouring of support from her peers, coaches, College Bound Jocks, and so many others,” her father explained.”
“This is one of those unfortunate situations that comes from the many, many college coaching changes, and she is extremely happy with how it turned out for her,” the athlete’s father continues. “We are very proud of her and how she managed the entire situation. I will tell you that one of the first people Taylor reached out to was Coach Jacquie Joseph, thanking her for believing in her from the beginning and updating her on her commitment to Syracuse.”
As a junior in the spring, the No. 45-ranked player in last year’s 2023 Extra Elite 100, had another big year for Richmond-Burton (Richmond, Illinois.) High where she was 1st Team All-State and All-Conference Player of the Year after hitting 12 home runs.
Taylor told Extra Inning Softball this weekend that, yes, it was a harrowing ordeal but she’s very happy with the outcome.
“I’m really so, so excited actually!” the Wasco Diamonds club standout began. “I never stopped being busy during the summer from the time I first heard of Coach Jacquie retiring which helped a lot. It was at the beginning of high school post-season, in the middle of May, and our high school team was having such a great year. We went on to play in the Super-Sectionals, farther than they had been in 20 years.”
“I was just hoping everything would work out. We finished the season strong, and I kept with my routine (school, softball, gym) which didn’t leave much time to think and worry about anything other than what I was doing day-to-day. After high school season, I moved right into travel ball so between that and the gym I kept myself very, very busy.”
Congratulations to 2023 CBJ Catcher @TaylorDavison16 from @SilverHawkSball for committing to @CuseSB pic.twitter.com/nIKfIZVDGo
— College Bound Jocks (@CollegeBDJocks) August 21, 2022
“Everyone around me was so supportive and kept telling me that it would all work out, but of course no one could predict the outcome,” Taylor says of her recruiting journey. “I am so happy and lucky to have all the people around me that I do: my friend and teammates, my coaches and teachers, CBJ and my family. They’re just what I needed.”
“I’m thankful for the interest from so many schools, and I really appreciate Syracuse’s Coach Doepking believing in me and providing me with this opportunity. I wish I didn’t have to go through that stress, but I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I’m just so happy!”
Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball</em
