Charles B. Aycock defensive lineman DeAndre Davis recently signed a national letter of intent to play football at Barton College.
The signing occurred inside the C.B. Aycock gymnasium on March 1, and along with teammates D.J. Prince and Wyatt Aycock, Davis became the third Golden Falcons player to sign with the Bulldogs
Davis is a two-sport athlete who played basketball and football for the Golden Falcons, and C.B. Aycock head football coach Thomas Zietlow said Davis is at his best when making plays on the football field.
“He made some huge plays for us in the backfield from the defensive position throughout the entire year,” Zietlow said. “He kind of was the leader of the defensive line the last two years. Definitely, a kid that all of the other guys looked up to.”
Davis, who is 6’3 and weighs 230 pounds, was a threat to any offensive line he faced last season, and he led the team in tackles for loss with 10 and finished second on the team in total tackles with 71.
He also finished third on the team in sacks with 1.5.
Zietlow said that Davis’ contributions to the team couldn’t be measured on the stat sheet alone because he had the ability to open up space for his teammates with his blocking ability and used his leadership skills to get the best play out of his teammates.
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“I.Q. (was a strength of his). He was able to play his role, and (he was) able to be in the right spot a lot of the times,” Zietlow said. “He was more of a quiet leader who led by example. He came to work every day. You didn’t have to stop practice or anything for him, he just did what he was asked to do, and I think kids (see) that example to follow. You knew he was going to come to play every Friday night.”
Zietlow added he’s excited that Davis will be signing for a local school because it will give him and Davis’ C.B. Aycyock teammates a chance to come to see him play, while Davis has the chance to stay close to his family.
“I think that’s one of the nice things about Barton being so close is that (I) get a chance to maybe go see them, and kids get to go see them play,” Zietlow said. “Their families can also be able to be able to support them as they move on to the next level.”
Davis said he is excited to play for Barton and believes that thanks to a strong recruiting class at Barton, the Bulldogs will be able to compete for a conference championship.
“It means a lot (to sign for Barton),” Davis said. “Playing with my teammates makes it more exciting, and with the recruits we have now, I think we can I think we can … win (the conference).”
In the classroom, Davis said he plans to study nursing.
“I just like helping people in general, so I just think that the nursing major was the best (way) to get (to do that).”