ESPN sideline reporter Taylor Davis is quickly becoming a fan favorite after a video of her dancing to Drake before going live on TV went viral on social media.
The former University of Auburn student-turned-journalist was at Southern Miss for their Week 1 loss to Mississippi State, but fans appeared to care more about the off-field moment than what occurred on it.
Davis was caught on camera by the stadium DJ as she got her groove on to his tunes before the game got underway.
In two hilarious clips she can be seen dancing to his songs, before gathering herself just in time for a piece to camera.
After her dancing went viral, she even took to social media herself to joke: ‘Couldn’t help myself!’
Davis was then asked about her headline-grabbing performance on a Bleav podcast alongside former Auburn QB Jason Campbell, in which she explained: ‘Bruh… you know what, it’s something that really surprises people about me, that all I listen to is rap.
Reporter Taylor Davis noticed the DJ filming her dancing before she went on air for ESPN
She responded to a series of viral TikToks to claim she ‘couldn’t help herself’ before the game
‘I’m originally from a small town in Alabama, I went to Auburn, I live in Nashville, and I don’t listen to country music, I listen to rap and hip-hop. My memory is pretty good, so my lyrical prowess comes out every now and then.
‘Especially pregame, when I’m just getting in the zone… and unbeknownst to me, I was being recorded and yeah, it’s gone viral.
‘I’m a little embarrassed, I’m not going to lie, it’s a little cringe… but I am who I am and you’ve got to do what keeps you loose before a game.’
Davis then went on to explain that it can be a little disheartening to go viral for such a light-hearted moment when, in her own words, she works hard on her ability to ‘know ball’.
Davis has been at ESPN since 2014 but is now becoming one of the network’s star reporters
The journalist poses during a holiday last summer, for another series of photos that went viral
‘I get nervous before a broadcast, so I just had to vibe out… but I try really hard to do my job really well and to know ball, and that’s what goes viral. No no, not any of my really compelling sports analysis or interviews… no, it’s going to be me rapping.’
Davis graduated from Auburn in 2014 and quickly got a job at ESPN, where she first worked as a production assistant for four years.
In 2019, she became a studio and podcast host for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, as well as a team reporter for the Kansas City Royals in 2021 and 2022.
She now covers college football for the broadcast network, and this week welcomed in a whole new set of fans.
