NCAA clears former Fridley star to play for UNM Lobos football

(FOX 9) - A former Fridley, Minn. high school athlete will get the chance to live his dreams of making a Division I football roster after the NCAA has cleared him to play.

Last week, FOX 9 told you about the plight handed out to Terrell Davis. In his third year, Davis, a Fridley High School grad who is now attending the University of New Mexico, finally earned a spot on the football team as a walk-on. It took him three years of trying before earning a roster spot playing wide receiver.

"I tried every year,' Davis told FOX 9. "I tried out every single year, and this is the year I actually made it. And when I made it, the coaches loved me."

Despite Davis currently holding a 3.0 GPA while majoring in finance, the NCAA initially ruled him ineligible to play, pointing to an online class he took three years earlier in high school, during the height of the pandemic. With his grandmother battling cancer, Davis had opted for online learning to avoid contact with others.

After the decision, Fridley High School sent documentation showing the English class and Davis' passing grades were above board. He was cleared after the NCAA review, allowing him to return to the team.

He will get his first chance to show off his skills to his new coaches next month, during summer workouts for the Lobos.