Two days after Nate Davis declared he would return to Muncie for his senior season, his older brother said Ball State University's quarterback had not thoroughly thought about the decision.
Jose Davis said Nate Davis's statement was an emotional response in the moments following the Cardinals' 42-24 loss in the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championship Game. Jose Davis said he did not rule out his brother staying at Ball State next year, but he said there is more than one option to consider.
"It just goes to show what the competitor in him is," he said of his 10-year-younger brother's comments about staying in Muncie. "I think he thought, 'I made an embarrassment of myself, and I'm going to come back and win a championship.'"
Nate Davis set most of Ball State's passing records in his three-year career, including a program-best 9,088 passing yards and 74 passing touchdowns. He ranks eighth in the country this year with a quarterback rating of 164.04, 10th with 3,446 passing yards, 12th with a 66.9 completion percentage and 14th with 26 passing touchdowns. The junior also was named the MAC's Offensive Player of the Year and to the conference's first team.
Nate Davis lost four fumbles in Ball State's loss to the University at Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game on Friday, and two were returned for touchdowns.
Nate Davis said after the game his plan throughout the season was to stay for his senior year and his performance changed nothing.
"There's no doubt about it," he said. "I've never thought about coming out [to the NFL Draft]."
Ball State coach Brady Hoke said he never discussed the decision with his quarterback during the season, but he was happy to hear the news. One of Nate Davis' best friends on the team, 32-year-old defensive captain Brandon Crawford, said Nate Davis told him during the year he planned to stay at Ball State.
"Like a little brother, we always talk," Crawford said. "It's not a surprise to me. He's a guy who's focused, and he wants to compete. He likes playing college football."
Jose Davis said his brother spoke to him about it, and he told him to look at the decision from all angles. The factors to consider include losing four starting offensive linemen and tight end Darius Hill, he said, and his desire to win a MAC championship. But Jose Davis said the most important part of Nate's decision will be his draft stock.
"I think if you are going to be a definite first-round or second-round guy, you enter the draft," Jose Davis said. "If they come back and say we know this for sure, you have to run with it. I will look for him to be a late-first round or early-second round pick."
Nate Davis has a 2-year-old daughter, Mia Davis, but Jose Davis said she will not be a determining factor in his final decision.
"He's not struggling by any means," Jose Davis said. "He has plenty of family, and he knows if he needs anything at all he's taken care of. He did not come from a family where he is dirt poor. Money isn't the thing he needs to be chasing right now."
Even though he thinks Nate Davis should enter the draft if he's guaranteed to be a first-day selection, Jose Davis said, he will support his brother with whatever decision he makes.
"I don't want anyone to convince him he needs to come out," Jose Davis said. "What I will do, what we will do, is sit down and put the facts on the table."
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