Fuqua School senior Brad Davis put pen to paper Wednesday, National Signing Day, and made official his commitment to play NCAA Division I football for the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

“It feels good to finally have it done, finally get the ball rolling, get a playbook, get some workouts from VMI and get started becoming a Keydet,” he said.

Davis was joined at his signing ceremony in Gilmer Gymnasium by family, friends and coaches excited to see him take his career as a student-athlete to the next level.

A veteran of the Falcons offensive and defensive lines, Davis committed to VMI in late 2016 with a partial athletic scholarship, and that has since been upgraded to a full scholarship for his first year. He said as long as he maintains good behavior, it will be renewed each year.

His parents, Rick and Benita Davis, were pleased to see the payoff in his quest to play college football.

“He’s just a focused, dedicated kid, so I’m glad to see that it’s all kind of come together, and he’s gotten what he’s wanted,” she said.

In addition to describing the physical training his son put himself through, Rick Davis noted that he has also dedicated himself academically.

At Fuqua, “he’s got a good chance of being valedictorian,” Rick Davis said.

Falcons Head Coach Ben Manis said the signing was a testament to Brad Davis’ work ethic.

“He’s got a phenomenal work ethic, both in the classroom and in the weight room and on the field,” Manis said. “He’s always tried to lead by example, and I’m just proud of him. He’s gotten there by himself. He hasn’t had a gold-paved road to get there. He’s had to deal with ups and downs. He’s had to deal with injuries. He’s come back from them, and he’s played against some really talented opponents, too, and got to the point where everybody had to stick their best guy on him, because if not, Brad would just crush two or three people.”