Dakota Davis: Syracuse Commit

By Mason Steinberg   

      Dakota Davis knows the difficulty of being a student athlete. He has had to balance three years of varsity Glenelg football along with maintaining the grades to receive a football  scholarship to continue his career at Syracuse University. With Davis as the primary blocker, running backs Trey Davis and Wande Owens broke county rushing records in consecutive seasons. This success in the team’s run game led the Gladiators to a region title game in 2015 and in 2016 they won the region. Along the way, Davis made many highlight reel blocks that intimidated opposing defenses. His favorite memory from Glenelg has been beating River Hill 49-7 in week 2 and then 38-7 in the regional title game.

     Davis has long had the size to be a Division One Athlete. With his skill improving, it became obvious that his recruitment would heat up. The tough recruiting process can take its toll on any athlete. Between the hard work to continue playing at a high level, going to scouting combines, keeping your grades up, and also playing for your high school team it can be difficult. His advice is to anyone going through the process is “to take your time and choose the school that will best prepare you for your future, but also imagine being at the school without playing your sport. If you get injured and can’t play you have to enjoy the school you are at.” At Syracuse Davis plans to study science, but hopefully he will be able to achieve his childhood dream of playing in the NFL.

     Being a student athlete in college is even tougher than in high school. Davis will have to take classes over the summer in order to be able to keep up with his schedule while he is in season during the fall. He believes that Glenelg has prepared him both academically and athletically to excel at the collegiate level.