During his high school football career, Happy Valley’s Dakota Cochran accomplished a lot.

And Wednesday, the senior capped things off as he signed with Brevard College where he will play football for the NCAA Division III school.

For Cochran, playing football at the collegiate level has always been a dream.

“It is just unreal and unbelievable to get to play ball at the next level,” said Cochran during Wednesday’s signing.

Cochran will play linebacker for Brevard, a position that Cochran held down well for the Warriors. In 2018, he racked up 154 tackles, four interceptions, eight sacks, and ten tackles for loss. His senior year performance followed up his selection as the 2017 Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

With a notable high school defensive career in the books, Cochran is ready for the challenge of adjusting to college-level football.

“I think it is going to be a hard adjustment because the game is a lot faster at the college level,” said Cochran.

When it comes to adjusting, Cochran is no stranger. During his senior year, Cochran, who had some snaps as a running back had to step into the quarterback position, a position he didn’t have much experience in. Cochran went on to accumalate 982 total offensive yards while scoring 90 points with two passing touchdowns. His offensive performance in conjunction with his defensive prowess earned him the 2018 Mountian East Conference Player of the Year award along with a selection to the 2018 TNFCA All-State Team.

During his time as a Warrior, Cochran played under the leadership of head coach Jason Jarrett, who was on hand during Wednesday’s signing.

“From day one when he walked in, I knew the type of individual he was going to become,” said Jarrett. “He is the epitome what a football player should be. He is a hard worker. He is dedicated to the program as a whole. He believes the team is bigger than him, and that is exactly what you want.”

The Brevard College Tornadoes went 4-6 overall and 3-4 in their conference during their 2018 season. The Tornadoes are coached by Bill Khayat who took over the program in 2017. Brevard College is located in Brevard, North Carolina.

While there, Cochran said he hopes to study exercise science.