Four-star defensive back Ka’Davion Dotson from state champion Duncanville commits to SMU

4:37 PM on Jul 23, 2023 CDT
The Duncanville to SMU pipeline continued Sunday as four-star defensive back Ka’Davion Dotson decided to stay close to home and committed to SMU.
SMU beat out 2022 national runner-up TCU, 2019 national champion LSU and Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma State for Dotson.
Dotson has the fifth-highest recruiting ranking for a player committing to SMU in the last 18 recruiting classes. He is the second-highest recruit in SMU’s 2024 class, trailing only South Oak Cliff four-star wide receiver Jamyri Cauley.
Dotson is rated the 36th-best safety in the nation and the 62nd-best overall recruit in Texas by 247Sports. The Dallas Morning News ranks him as the second-best cornerback in the area and the 13th-best player in D-FW.
SMU has seven commitments for the Class of 2024, and four are from the Dallas area. In addition to Dotson and Cauley, Red Oak linebacker Zach Smith and Cedar Hill cornerback Alexander Rodgers are also committed to the Mustangs.
Dotson helped Duncanville win the Class 6A Division I state title last year, its first state championship since 1998. Duncanville led area 6A teams in total defense (174.5 yards per game), run defense (73.8 yards per game) and scoring defense (10.4 points per game) and was No. 2 in pass defense (100.7 yards per game).
Dotson is the fourth Duncanville player to commit to SMU in the last four recruiting classes, joining wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr. (Class of 2021), safety Jadarius Thursby (2021) and safety Pierre Goree (2022). SMU has done an extraordinary job recruiting D-FW, as 43 players on its 2023 roster are from Dallas-area schools.
Dotson is the second Duncanville top-100 recruit to make a commitment for the Class of 2024, joining defensive lineman Alex January, who is committed to Texas. Duncanville still has a pair of top-10 area players who are uncommitted — five-star defensive lineman Colin Simmons (the area’s No. 1 recruit) and four-star running back Caden Durham.
Durham is planning to announce his commitment on Aug. 25, the day of Duncanville’s season opener against defending Class 5A Division II state champion South Oak Cliff.