Middletown football stars find new college fits after coaching changes foiled early plans

The weeks preceding the first Wednesday of February have long been some of the most crowded on the college football calendar despite the clock on the last meaningful game for most programs having run out months ago.

The early signing day period in December has alleviated the stress on some coaches and athletes this time of year, but for others late January is still a frenzy of official visits, phone calls and strenuous decisions.

Middletown's Ronnell Davis and Tristen Graham thought they settled their futures last year. In June, Davis committed to James Madison. The following month Graham committed to Syracuse. But coaching changes days before the December signing day upended those plans.

Davis, Delaware's top-rated defensive back, reopened his recruiting after JMU head coach Curt Cignetti left for Indiana and brought the staff Davis connected to with him. Graham, the state's top defensive end, received a phone call two days before signing day from Syracuse's new head coach Fran Brown telling him they were no longer going to sign him.

Davis soon after turned to Buffalo, which had urged him to hold off on committing to JMU in the summer and never stopped recruiting him. He visited campus for the first time last weekend then made his intention to sign there public Monday night.

"I honestly feel like it worked out for the best," Davis said. "For me, I feel like everything happens for a reason. ... I feel like I found a better place for me. I'm glad that they stayed in the picture and I'm really grateful for them."

After Syracuse dropped Graham, Kent State called and wanted him to sign right away, but Graham decided to go back to the drawing board. He received a half-dozen offers over the last month and a half, including an offer from Akron three weeks ago. He visited Akron for the first time last weekend and made his call official Tuesday afternoon.

"I loved it," Graham said. "Way better than Syracuse."

This fall, Graham earned Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year and both Graham and Davis were first-team All-State honorees. They starred on a Cavaliers defense that ranked second in points allowed in their district. Middletown's season ended in a semifinal loss to eventual state champion Salesianum. Graham won a state championship with Middletown as a sophomore in 2021.

A North Philadelphia native, Davis spent the first two years of high school at Roman Catholic before transferring to Middletown after the state championship year. While his finer football skills improved at Middletown, he said the school has made a larger impact in setting him up to be a better man.

"My mom [Latosha Cheatham] made a lot of sacrifices to move our family to a better situation," Davis said. "This feeling, I really can't describe this feeling. I feel very grateful. This is like when you get married or something. I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders."

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Dozens of athletes across the state signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday and celebrated with teammates, coaches and friends and family.

Salesianum running back and Gatorade Delaware Player of the Year B.J. Alleyne is heading to West Point. Class 2A Offensive Player of the Year Jordan Miller of Caravel signed with Kutztown. Dover's Jakwon Kilby is joining Delaware State to compete in football and track and field. Appoquinimink running back Daniel McConomy, Delaware Online's top-ranked player at the season's onset, is walking on at the University of Delaware.

At three long tables in front of blue and silver Wildcats balloons in the bottom level of Howard High, teammates R.J. Matthews, Jamal Johnson and Robert Kelly, with their parents seated between them, put pen to paper Wednesday morning.

Matthews, Delaware's leader in passing yards and touchdowns last fall, signed with Virginia State, a Division II school a 20-minute drive south of Richmond. Virginia State finished 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association last season.

Matthews took his first visit to the school in late January. He said the Virginia State coaching staff didn't plan on signing a class of 2024 quarterback, but expressed interest after viewing his film late in the recruiting process.

"It's always been my dream to play football at the next level," said Matthews, who also received interest from Delaware State and West Virginia State. "It's something I always worked hard for in the classroom and on the field."

Johnson and Kelly signed with West Virginia State, a Division II school in the Mountain East Conference near the West Virginia capitol of Charleston. They visited the school with Matthews last month.

"Schools will like you one second and then not like you the next, so the hardest part was actually finding a school that believed in me and I believed in them," Kelly said. "West Virginia State, that was the first school that really believed in me."

Added Johnson, "It just felt like home. Once you get that feeling, you just want to go there."

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on X and Instagram @holveck_brandon. Follow him on TikTok @bholveck.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Signing Day: Tristen Graham and Ronnell Davis explain recruitment