Riverside-Brookfield High School football coach Otto Zeman said Britt Davis is the No. 1 player in the state. Davis backs that up by saying he’s No. 1. Now, all NIU wants is for Britt to say the Huskies are No. 1. I The 6-foot-3 senior quarterback lists NIU as one of six schools he’s considering. The fact that his brother Brandon is a freshman tight end at NIU bodes well for the Huskies. I At 185-pounds, Davis runs a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, quicker than any NIU player, and can pass the ball, as shown by 559 yards he threw for in his first game of the season against Yorkville on Aug. 29.

On Friday, while R-B visited Sycamore, Britt was 19-for-28 passing for 307 yards with four touchdowns (one rushing) and one interception. Oh yeah, all of that was in two-and-a-half quarters of play.

NIU coach Joe Novak must be smiling in this recruiting battle with Indiana, New Mexico, Ball State, Bowling Green and Toledo, although bigger schools may jump into the picture if Davis continues to play as he has early on this season.

The NIU coaching staff is not allowed to comment on recruits, according to rules by the NCAA.

The first college football game Britt went to was last year at Huskie Stadium for NIU’s overtime win against Wake Forest. The game that Britt calls “the best I ever saw” was the Huskies’ win against Maryland.

Britt watched the Maryland game with his brother on TV, as Brandon was recovering from a hernia surgery.

“Brandon had the surgery, and the doctor said he didn’t want him walking that much,” Britt said. “But we were watching the game at home, and he was jumping up and down, and he looked like he was ready to go.”

The fraternal connection was in full force last year when Brandon had 65 receptions for 928 yards, mostly from his brother. Britt threw for 3,029 yards and 39 touchdowns, while rushing for 819 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“It would mean a lot to me to have my little brother throwing to me again if he came to Northern,” said Brandon, who reported to August drills as the No. 4 tight end, but will redshirt this season.

As a sophomore, Britt started at defensive back when R-B went to the Class 5A quarterfinals. That year, Brandon, and current NIU wide receiver Shatone Powers, were catching passes from another good quarterback, Tim Brasic. A redshirt freshman at the University of Illinois, Brasic holds the state record with 4,639 passing yards in a season.

At R-B, the Bulldogs have a five-receiver, no-running-back attack where each play is either a pass or quarterback draw.

“I want to find a program where I’m going to fit in,” Britt said. “I’m accustomed to throwing the ball, so of course I want to go somewhere where they are going to spread it out.”

Ryan Lowry, a writer for the Liberty Suburban Chicago Newspapers, covered Britt throughout his career.

“He’s an all-around athlete,” Lowry said. “He’s an all-conference player in basketball, state qualifier in track and just his size is the biggest thing. If he’s out in the open field, there’s no one on this level who is going to catch him. I’ve seen strength-wise he’s really bulked up and toughened up.”

Against Sycamore, Britt showed his ability on two quick passes.

With 11 seconds before halftime, R-B got the ball on an interception. In that situation, 47 yards away from the end zone, most teams would’ve downed the ball and went into halftime with their 22-8 lead. Not a team with Britt Davis.

He connected with a receiver on a 42-yard pass, then hit paydirt with a 5-yard rocket to a flashing receiver.

“He’s a great player for us,” said Zeman. “I think he is the state’s best player. I don’t know how anyone could add more value to their team as he does to ours.”

A decision on what college Britt will attend is expected to come in November, after the season. Until then, NIU fans only can hold their breath.

“My first football game I ever went to was at Northern,” said Britt. “Yeah, I want to play with Brandon, but it’s not even that. I just love it [at NIU].”

Brandon said he doesn’t try to persuade Britt to come to NIU, because he realizes the burden on his brother is immense already.

“I’m not even going to pressure him because I’m going to let him make that decision himself,” Brandon said. “I’m not going to lie, though. I’d love for him to come here.”