For the first time in recent memory, a top college football recruit is opting to turn down major offers to focus on soccer. Drake Davis, a four-star rated recruit out of the state of Virginia, isn’t going to play football this year.
Blue-chip football recruit opts for soccer instead
Drake Davis, a receiver from the state of Virginia, has several big-time football scholarship offers. But he’s going to play soccer this fall.
Bud Elliott/SB Nation
At just about every school in the United States, boys’ soccer and football run parallel to each other, in the fall, and it’s typically impossible for players to play both. Davis participated in college football camps this summer, but decided to focus on soccer afterwards.
At 6’4 and 215 pounds, Davis is absolutely enormous for a high school soccer player. He played at a Florida State football camp this summer, where SB Nation’s Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation said that he “stood out during the opening days with his striking size and imposing athleticism.”
Davis played well enough at camp that he received a scholarship offer from Florida State. He also has offers from Alabama, Miami, Maryland, Temple, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
While Davis isn’t a truly elite recruit, he would be a great get for any program based on scouting reports and his rankings. He’s ranked as the No. 10 wide receiver in his class and would have a chance to become an instant starter at some of the schools that have made him offers. He’s not making an easy decision by turning down college football. He’s a legitimate prospect.
But it’s worth noting that Davis is from the class of 2016, meaning it’ll be very easy for him to change his mind if he decides that soccer is not for him. He’ll have another season to play high school football if he wants to, and he’ll probably have no problem getting scholarship offers again.
