With a coaching change as well as a new athletic director, Drake Davis felt Northern Michigan University was no longer the place for him.
So Davis entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility left.
While Davis said he didn’t like the direction NMU was heading, he enjoyed his time at the NCAA Division II school in Marquette, Mich.
“I had a great time at Northern,” Davis said. “I had a lot of great experiences playing in the Superior Dome. On top of that, it was a great time being able to lay college football with my brother (Wyatt). Not too many people get to do that. I gave Northern everything I had for the last four years and I hope that I put on a show for everyone.”
“I chose Quincy because it gave me the best possible scenario for my last two years of playing and for after I am done (playing) and trying to coach in college,”
Drake Davis, former Bureau Valley and Naperville North quarterback
Davis, who starred at Bureau Valley for three years before playing his senior season at Naperville North, received double digit offers before deciding to play his final two seasons at Quincy University.
“I chose Quincy because it gave me the best possible scenario for my last two years of playing and for after I am done (playing) and trying to coach in college,” Davis said. “They have a great staff. They also have a coach who has recruited me since high school and was a coach at Northern during my time there. He is someone who I really trust and know will always be there for me.
“Another big reason was it is close to home as well as close to my brother Teagan. I’m only two hours from Iowa City (where Teagan has signed to play football for Iowa). So being able to be there for him if he needs it and getting to watch his career will be awesome. I will also be close enough to experience my sister’s high school career.”
Davis said the transfer recruiting process was busier than his recruiting experience coming out of high school.
“The recruiting process was a bit hectic,” said Davis, who had 10-12 offers and chose between Quincy, Davenport and East Tennessee State. “In high school, I really only had the one offer from Eastern (Illinois) and then some walk-on opportunities like Illinois. This time around, I was going all over the place for visits. I was driving all over the Midwest and even got flown out for a visit, which was pretty cool. I met a lot of great people during this process and hope that they all have great seasons this year.”
Last season at Northern Michigan, Davis complete 77-of-120 passes for 832 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions.
In 17 games played over three seasons, Davis completed 227-of-371 passes for 2,412 yards and 16 TDs with 12 interceptions. He also ran for 546 yards and six TDs.
Davis joins a Quincy program that went 4-7 last season and had its last winning season in 2014.
“My goals at Quincy are to win a conference championship, make the playoffs and make a run for a national championship,” Davis said. “I don’t believe Quincy has ever made the playoffs, so it would be cool to help lead them to their first. Overall, I hope to win a lot of games during my time there.”
