Rece Davis Comes To Belmont

Photo taken by Reece Leddy

While Vanderbilt got the spotlight on ESPN’s “College GameDay” for its football game on Saturday, Belmont got the first look when host Rece Davis spoke on campus Friday.

Davis brought decades worth of sports storytelling to Belmont last Friday, giving students an exclusive look inside of one of college athletics’ most iconic broadcasters.

Host and Belmont instructor Joel Hester wasted no time with the first question, asking Davis what it was like getting the job to host College Gameday.

Davis said that he never had a goal in mind to host College Gameday, and that it was a result of contract negotiations with the network and trying to get a gig to get him closer to the game of college football.

He said that he knew about getting the job a couple months before it was planned to be announced but it got leaked to the public unexpectedly.

“I was doing a SportsCenter hit,” Davis said, “and I can see the table where our broadcast position is, and I can see it vibrating, and it's because my phone and my iPad were blowing up.”

Hester asked later in the conversation about the NCAA, and if it is still important and relevant as a governing body of college sports.

“Nope, not really,” Davis said, “ I think there are a lot of well-intentioned, well-meaning people there…But I don't think it's ever going to be the way it used to be.”

When questions were turned over to the audience a student asked if there was an event still Davis would like to call that he has not yet.

“Super Bowl…I've never even been to a Super Bowl,” Davis said.

Junior Brady Davidson held a sign that said “Vandy was my safety school” while attending the event. Davidson said that he has been to many panels involving professionals in the sports industry, but one thing about Davis stood out from the rest.

“He has a skill that everybody needs, which is communication. And I think that's a really valuable lesson everybody needs to learn,” Davidson said.

The panel was more centered around stories and lessons rather than career advice on how to become a broadcaster. Hester wanted to give those in attendance a chance to see Davis how he saw him, as his longtime friend.

“I see him through the lens of who he is.” Hester said, “I wanted to make sure that people understood that there's more than just the career side.”

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This article was written by Reece Leddy