One of the newest Owls to join the team this offseason, Davin Cosby Jr. signed with Kennesaw State this past spring after spending the past two years at Wake Forest (2024-25) and Alabama (2023-24), where he was originally recruited by current Kennesaw State head coach Antoine Pettway. He jumped at the chance to join Pettway with the Black and Gold in Kennesaw and was looked at as a key component for the Owls’ backcourt for this upcoming season.

However, in early July, he was involved in a serious car accident, which resulted in a broken neck and a fractured C7 vertebra, leading to two immediate emergency surgeries that night. The most immediate concern was if Cosby would even be able to walk again. He started to show positive signs that week while in the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga. He was first able to wiggle his toes. Then, he progressed to slowly sitting up, giving everyone the hope that a full recovery was in sight.

While he continued to make improvements, he had the full support of the Kennesaw State community to help him with best care possible for his rehab. Pettway made repeated trips in July and August to see Cosby, and his teammates came to see him as well, with one day Pettway chartering a bus for a team visit. 

Others were working behind the scenes to help Cosby become admitted to the renowned Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which is known as one of the top leading brain, spinal cord, and multiple trauma injury rehabilitation facilities in the world. He was officially admitted on August 7, and he instantly thrived in the rehab center. 

Cosby made his first trip back to Kennesaw State since his accident on August 27, when he, along with his rehab nurses from the Shepherd Center, made a trip to VyStar Arena to surprise his teammates by walking that morning into practice. The Owls were overjoyed to have Cosby visit, and took him to a team lunch on campus before returning back to the Shepherd Center.

He impressively kept making great progress with his physical rehab and was officially released from full-time care in mid-September. His mother, Irene, has currently relocated from Virginia to be here for her son during his physical rehab. Cosby will continue rehabbing this semester, gaining back his strength and mobility, with hopes to return back to classes in the spring. He eyes a return to the hardwood for the Owls in the future. 

“Davin has been such an inspiration to us all. His resilience and perseverance have been great to watch. His situation has also really brought our guys together in such a loving way,” Pettway said. “They not only have leaned on each other, but it’s put life into perspective for them. They have seen firsthand how fast things can be taken away from you and have learned to appreciate what we have in the moment.”