Why QB Tyson Davison is Ocoee football’s missing championship piece

There’s a lot to get excited about when it comes to Ocoee football’s new starting quarterback, Tyson Davison — a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior, who transferred to the West Orange program from nearby rival school Apopka High.

The former Blue Darters starting quarterback has a solid physical frame that makes him a nightmare to tackle in the open field. He is lightning quick and has the agility and straight-line speed to embarrass defenders. 

But Davison isn’t just a running quarterback. He’s the textbook definition of a dual-threat — meaning he can sling it just as well as he can tuck the rock and make a run for it. 

He is also as experienced as any senior QB can be, considering he’s played in 37 varsity football games over his three seasons at Apopka. In that time, he amassed a 23-14 record and even led the Blue Darters to within three points of winning the 2022 Class 4M State Championship.

Beyond his freakish physical traits and impressive career résumé, another reason to rave about Davison is his success in the classroom. The Knights QB1 has managed to maintain an impressive 5.0 weighted GPA.

There’s no denying it: The kid is a unicorn. A coach’s dream. Ocoee coach Buck Gurley’s dream — but not for the reasons listed nor for any you could possibly imagine. What gets Davison’s new coach excited about having him under center can be best described as having a high football I.Q. 

“With Tyson at QB, we’ve been able to progress on offense in a way that’s a breath of fresh air,” Gurley said. “There was a play in the preseason game that demonstrated his (I.Q. perfectly). He stepped up into the pocket, and it looked like he had an opportunity to throw it down field, but all of a sudden, the safety bolts over to that receiver and cuts off that throw. He saw the dang safety, mid-progression and didn’t panic. He didn’t throw a bad pass. He didn’t take a sack. He simply threw the ball away and lived to play another down.”

For Gurley, that decision to throw the ball away was a representation of what he has seen from Davison since he showed up to the Ocoee campus. From his attitude during practices and workouts to his leadership style among his teammates and commitment to the mental aspects of the quarterback position, Davison’s commitment to his craft might just be what helps this Knights program take a step forward from good to championship-worthy. 

“I just bring a mentality of hard work,” Davison said. “Being part of a program the past few season that always had a hard-nosed, put your head down and don’t compare yourself to anybody else type of culture instilled in me a work ethic that I’m making sure to bring here. To me, we’re grinding every second, we lift weights hard, we run fast every time. That’s the type of stuff we need to do in order to be mentality strong.”

Photo by Sam Albuquerque

The experience Davison brings with him to Ocoee is just part of the equation. If he can’t effectively communicate and connect with his new teammates, it’s useless. However, that’s not the case for Knights new QB.

“Tyson’s been there before; he’s been where we want to go,” Gurley said. “He has an understanding of what we need to do to be competing at the highest level and fighting for championships. But it’s not just an understanding; he’s a leader for our guys, too. When the guys mess up, he’s not out there tearing into them. The opposite actually. He’s building guys up. Letting them know that we can do this and from that we’ve see just huge spark come from our offense.”

From Davison’s perspective, he feels his experience and leadership abilities can be most useful during the doldrums of the long season, when things aren’t breaking his team’s way. 

“We’re going to have to go through adversity at one point,” he said. “Along those long  playoff runs, there’s a lot of ups and downs … and having been there and because we have a great group of guys here who are ready to work, who want it really bad, we are approaching this season with a mindset of states or bust, and you better believe we’re going for states.”

On the field, Davison knows he has to blend his physical, mental and leadership skills together to accomplish that goal of bringing home a state title. 

“As a player, I know that I’m pretty good at extending plays, but I have to be smart about when I do that so I don’t force things,” he said. “I also know a lot of that comes from making sure my teammates are where they need to be, when they need to be there. So I put that responsibility of making sure everybody’s on the same page on my back. As well as being an example of a hard worker, who’s ready to ball.”

If you ask Gurley if his new QB is doing what he’s set out to, there’s no question in his mind. 

“Not only am I sitting here like this dude came already knowing the scheme,” Gurley said. “He’s not only out there running the offense like a pro, but how he communicates it to his teammates in the huddle has them coming back after each play thanking him for the advice or the direction. That speaks volumes, that lets you know that you don’t just have a football player, but you a leader. That’s what sets him apart most: The simple fact that he’s all about us as a team. When you have a kid (who) is focused on all of us and acts that way, it’s easy to give him respect. He sets himself to the side every day and says with his words and actions that this is a team game. Because of that he’s just been able to lead guys through whatever we’ve seen so far.”