Ball State University junior quarterback Nate Davis said Friday night he is thinking about entering his name into this year's NFL Draft but he will not make the decision until Winter Break.
The statement comes one week after Davis said he will stay for his senior season at Ball State, a decision he made immediately following the Cardinals' 42-24 loss to the University at Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game on Dec. 5. He also said he had never given any thought to entering the draft.
Davis said Friday he will make a final decision on whether to stay at Ball State or jump to the NFL during Winter Break. He said he will not make his decision until thoroughly discussing his options with his mother, brother and coaches.
"I haven't made a decision yet one way or the other," Davis said. "Me and my family are going to talk about it over Christmas Break, and I'm going to talk with my coaches."
The junior can enter the NFL Draft without forfeiting his eligibility if he does not sign an agent, according to NFL rules.
Jose Davis, Nate's older brother, said he spoke with Nate about entering the draft numerous times. The most recent was Tuesday, after Texas quarterback Colt McCoy - one of three Heisman Trophy finalists - told the Austin American-Statesman he would stay in college for a senior season.
"If entering the draft is a way to weigh out all his options, then he should do it," Jose said. "I thought this is what he should do from day one."
It is likely Nate Davis will be a first-round selection if he enters the draft this season, especially if McCoy stays at Texas. Despite a quality crop of quarterbacks this year, Jose Davis, who played quarterback at Kent State University and still holds most of the school's passing records, said he thinks his brother will be the third quarterback selected in the 2009 NFL Draft if he decides to enter.
"I see (University of Georgia quarterback Matt) Stafford and (University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam) Bradford being top five picks if they decide to enter the draft," Jose Davis said. "That leaves Nate a lot of room to be taken in the first round. I know if I'm going to be the third quarterback taken, I'm going to go pro."
Nate Davis' decision will not be based on whether head coach Brady Hoke leaves at the end of the season, but he said it will influence his future plans if Hoke isn't on the Cardinals' sidelines in 2009.
Hoke interviewed with Auburn University athletics director Jay Jacobs and San Diego State University athletics director Jeff Schemmel, according to ESPN reports. Ball State athletics director Tom Collins neither confirmed nor denied those reports Thursday afternoon.
Nate Davis said he talked to Hoke this week, and Hoke assured him he wouldn't accept any job offers from other schools.
"I believe coach Hoke will stay," Nate Davis said.
From what he's gathered in the discussions with his brother, however, Jose Davis said he thinks Hoke's contract situation is one of the major reasons he's thinking about jumping to the NFL.
"I think with the whole Brady Hoke saga, that has a lot to do with it," Jose Davis said. "I think it would for anybody. You don't want to have a new staff come in and know you're not their guy."
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