How reporter Taylor Davis went from small-town Alabama to primetime on SEC Network
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Taylor Davis grew up in the small town of Deatsville with a big dream of one day becoming a sports reporter.
Now, she’s set to be the sideline reporter for SEC Network’s primetime crew during the 2026 college football season.
“I think ambition is equal parts belief in yourself, a lot of preparation and a little bit of delusion to it. And I had it. I didn’t know how but I just had that belief.”
Taylor Davis
Keep reading to learn more about Davis’ path from Edgewood Academy to Auburn University to the national spotlight.
‘I always had people in my corner’
Many people from small-town Alabama will tell you how important football is to their community and that was no different for Taylor Davis growing up in Deatsville.
She went to school at Edgewood Academy in the peak of the Bobby Carr era which racked up championships in every sport, not just the football field. And with Auburn not too far away, it was easy for Davis to find a love for sports.
But often, that passion is not enough to spark a full career in the sports world. Davis credits her time at Auburn with turning a dream into a reality.
“I credit my time at Auburn more than anything that I have done in my life. Auburn prepared me and equipped me in ways that I didn’t even realize then. Looking back now, I can see the steps being taken even in my college career. I had professors that really breathed confidence and belief into me. I always had people that were in my corner.”
Taylor Davis
Davis knew what she wanted to do when she got to The Plains, declaring as a broadcast journalism major and never straying from it.
While War Eagle Productions may not have been around yet, Davis points to the on-campus opportunities provided by the athletics department.
From joining major press conferences as a student reporter to shadowing ESPN crews while they were in town, Davis says those are the experiences that helped her get where she is today.
“I left Auburn with such confidence that I could have a career in this field.”
Taylor Davis
Davis said she still thinks about her Alabama roots every time she’s on the job, no matter how big the role is.
“I was from a bubble and just put one foot in front of the other. I’m a very faith driven person so I fully belive God opened doors for me and prepared me to walk through them.”
Taylor Davis
Getting started with the ESPN family
Davis pointed to a specific project during her time at Auburn which felt like a turning point.
Former Auburn football player Shon Coleman returned to the field after a battle with cancer and ESPN came to town to do a featured story on Coleman.
Davis was still a student at the time and she was selected to help out with the production.
“I really feel like I fit here.”
Taylor Davis
After graduating from Auburn, she got her first job in production with ESPN. While it wasn’t on air initially, Davis got to experience “how the sauce is made” and further understand the industry.
After two years in production, Davis got her first chance as a sideline reporter when she was called into her boss’s office and offered the role at two college gymnastics meets.
“I left the office crying. It was truly a pinch me, how did this happen moment.”
Taylor Davis
Eventually, her sideline reporting duties became a conflict with her production duties and she had to pick a path. She took a leap of faith and is now entering her eighth season as a sideline reporter.
“You’re now a reporter, here we go. Both of them were life changing, not to be dramatic. It trult was that. Here’s your moment, go make the most of it. It was equal parts terrifying and thirlling.”
Taylor Davis
Taylor Davis set to join primetime crew on SEC Network
After spending last season as a member of an ESPN2 gameday crew, Davis will shift to the SEC Network this season to serve as the sideline reporter for SEC Primetime games.
Davis has extensive experience reporting in the conference including the College World Series, the SEC Gymnastics Championships and hosting an SEC podcast with former Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell.
But still, the shift to primetime came as a pleasant surprise.
“I had zero expectation that was even on the table… When the bosses called me and told me, I was so shocked for one and two, I was just so humbled and grateful because a lot of people who I deeply respect and admire had to choose me and put their belief in me to carry the baton of such a large brand.”
Taylor Davis
Davis’ full schedule for the season isn’t quite finalized yet but she will start the season with a trip to Gainesville for the Florida-Florida Atlantic season opener.
And of course, Davis is always looking forward to her next return trip to the Plains.
“Any time I get to go back to Auburn, it is truly such a special experience because I can remember being in the student section and having goals of doing the exact job I’m doing now. To go back and do it in the place that prepared me, it never gets old.”
Taylor Davis
