Brighton's DeLay makes college football commitment

“I am definitely a little nervous for college, and I think the biggest reason is I have lived in the same house in Brighton my whole life, and have had a lot of the same friends since elementary school,” DeLay said. “It will, for sure, be a change. But I am also so excited for the next chapter in my life. Not a lot of people get to play college football. And for that, I am beyond grateful.”DeLay offered his commitment decision on X, formerly Twitter, last week. He’ll sign the official letter of intent later.

After DeLay took his official campus visit, he knew Chadron was the place for him.Brighton High School football player Joey DeLay is on his way to Chadron State College in Nebraska to continue his education and football career.In nine games for the Bulldogs this season, DeLay gained 15 rushing yards and caught 19 passes for 231 yards, both team highs. One of those receptions went for a touchdown. His all-purpose yardage total put him fourth on the squad. He also recorded 32 total tackles, fifth-best on the team.“That really did seal the deal for me,” DeLay said. “It showed me that the coaches cared for me as an individual rather than just a football player.”DeLay isn’t sure about a major field of study in college. He’s leaning toward either exercise science or journalism.“I had some interest from other schools, but I felt like Chadron felt like home to me,” he said. “I made my decision to play at Chadron State rather than another school for a couple of reasons: one being how strong the culture is and the ‘no shortcuts’ mentality. They do everything the right way and don’t cheat the system.”“My time at Brighton High School was filled with so many memories, some being better than others, and many ups and downs,” he said. “The thing that I feel like got me to where I am today is my teammates. I would say we had a much stronger brotherhood than most other schools, and that helped me be myself.”