Virginia football gets athletic, dual-threat quarterback from Lynchburg

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Once Bronco Mendenhall and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck got an up close look at dual-threat quarterback prospect Davis Lane, they were convinced to offer a scholarship.

The “look” was on Tuesday when the Liberty Christian Academy junior worked out for Virginia’s coaches. The offer followed immediately.

Lane’s response came Saturday when he became UVA’s sixth commitment of the 2022 class.

Lane is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete from the Lynchburg school. Not only is Lane a football standout, but has also enjoyed a stellar career in track & field.

At the VHSL Indoor Championships, the quarterback posted a 6.41 clocking in the 55 meters, winning the state title. His run was the fifth-fastest in the nation by an athlete in the 2022 class. He also owns a 11.0 timing in the 100 meters.

Lane chose Virginia over offers from Army, Navy, Utah State, UMass, ODU and a host of Ivy schools.

With the state’s football season pushed to this past spring rather than the fall because of the pandemic, Lane is coming off a successful campaign with LCA.

In April, Lane led LCA to a dominating 42-14 win over Brookville. He passed for 187 yards in the game (he had 177 of that at halftime), including an 11 of 14 performance, and two touchdowns.

LCA coach Frank Rocco, whose son Michael, played quarterback at Virginia, said some impressive things about Lane after that victory.

“I walked off at halftime with [Lane] and I said, ‘Davis, you are unbelievably way ahead of expectations,’” Rocco said. “Never did we think he would be in a position where he could make decisions, be smart, take care of the ball. The first game we played here wasn’t so much, but in six weeks, he’s now a totally different guy.”

Lane said he hopes to make his official visit to Virginia on the weekend of June 11-13 to coincide with LCA teammate Zach Rice’s visit. Rice is a 5-star offensive lineman, considered the No. 1 O-Line prospect in the country. Rice has already visited North Carolina and Ohio State, but still has visits planned to the other three schools in his final five: Virginia, Alabama and Notre Dame.