Lake Oconee Academy linebacker Reid Davis has decided where he will play football at the next level.
Davis recently committed to Berry College, an NCAA Division III program in Rome. He is now happy to be a Viking.
Reid told the Lake Oconee News he visited Berry’s campus three times and fell in love with the program.
“We’ve been up there several times,” Reid said after committing. “I think we went to two camps and then went to three visits. Through the three visits, we saw the campus, which is beautiful. The programs they’ve got in education are great. We also saw the weight room and met the coaches.”
Davis chose Berry because of his relationships with the Berry coaching staff. He became close with Vikings’ head coach Tony Kunczewski and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joel Elliot.
“I love the coaches. Coach Kunczewski and Coach Elliott are great guys,” Reid said. “I can already tell that, but everybody we talked to, including parents, employers around here, and anyone we spoke to, had nothing negative to say about Berry. It wasn’t just the coaches selling the school to us. Everybody had nothing bad to say.”
Reid also liked the proximity to home.
“It’s far enough to where you’re not right in your backyard, but it’s about a three-hour drive, so it’s doable if you want to come home for a weekend,” he said. “If you’ve got something to do, you can come home.”
Reid will play outside linebacker at Berry. He played that position for Patrick Stewart while at LOA.
When he camped at Berry, Elliot and the Vikings’ defensive staff liked Reid’s “hip mobility and speed.”
“That’s kind of their guy on their defense,” Reid said. “After all, he pass-rushes a lot, drops back in coverage sometimes and blitzes a lot. So that’s where I hope to stay because that’s a very fun position.”
Reid also played tight end at Lake Oconee Academy.
Stewart acknowledged that Reid never came off the field during a game.
“He worked his tail off in the offseason,” Stewart said in the fall. “He probably played 85 snaps every Friday and never gets tired. He’s a special player and one of those you want on your squad.”
At tight end, Reid totaled team-highs in receptions (25), receiving yards (276), and touchdowns (2). The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder also led the team in tackles (65) and tackles for loss (10) on defense.
The football program at Lake Oconee Academy started when Reid began his freshman year. He grew with the program and is part of the first senior class to play four years as a Titan on the gridiron.
Reid takes pride in helping build the program from the ground up.
“It’s definitely exciting to be going to the next level and getting to experience new things,” Reid said. “But playing at LOA, the biggest thing for me was that we weren’t always the best team, but there’s something to be said for starting something. We started that program on the first day and are the first seniors to play all four years. So that means something, to me at least.”