Fayette quarterback Ben Wells signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play football at Central Methodist University next year.

The senior will join fellow Falcon teammates Garren Vroman and Zane Rice on the college gridiron this fall.

Wells said he was undecided about playing football at the next level and even attending college. “I thought, ‘What if I didn’t go.’ I might as well,” he said. “I’m young, and I have plenty of time to do what I want to do. I decided to take a chance and play some football.”

Waiting also allowed Wells to decide after Central hired an entirely new coaching staff. Dave Brown hit the ground running in March when he was hired for his first head coaching job in early March. He announced his coaching staff in Mid-April. 

“I think it’s good that I waited because they have a whole new staff,” Wells said. “I was able to go up there, check out, practice, and talk to the coaches. That helped a lot with the decision.”

Coach Brown said that Wells was a player he wanted to recruit since taking over the program.

“He’s someone who I’d seen on film prior to arriving here at Central Methodist, so once we were able to get our recruiting operation up and running, he was one of the first people we contacted,” Brown said. “We want to make sure to keep as many of the regional prospects that we can close to home, so Fayette high school is obviously the starting point for that. Outside of his athletic ability, that made Ben a great fit to be one of our first targets and first commits.”

And Coach Brown’s history of coaching quarterbacks influenced Wells’ choice to become an Eagle.

Wells became the starting quarterback near the end of his freshman season, taking over for then-starter Jack Kindle, who was sidelined with an injury. He has been the Falcons’ starting play-caller ever since. During that time, he set new benchmarks for Fayette quarterbacks.

In three-plus seasons, he threw for an FHS career-high of 4,951 yards and 52 touchdowns while rushing for 1,511 yards. As a senior, he set a new season-high school record for passing with 1,612 yards for 21 touchdowns.

“He has been a great player here for four years and will be missed tremendously as a player and person,” said Fayette coach Mike Thompson. “Ben is very athletic and intelligent. He will be a great fit at CMU. 

Wells said he intends to step onto Davis Field as a quarterback, and his high school coach couldn’t agree more. “He continues to improve his skills every year, and I expect he will compete well as a quarterback. Ben has the ability to play multiple positions if he chooses, so only time will tell.”

Coach Brown agreed that Wells would join the CMU program as a quarterback. “Like everyone, we’ll make sure that his high school position is the best fit for him at the college level once we’ve had a chance to work with him. His athleticism is a great fit for what we ask quarterbacks to do in our offense.

“We want quality people who can thrive in a competitive environment,” continued Brown. “The athletic ability is the easy part of the evaluation process, and Ben checks all of those on and off the field boxes for us.”

Wells said he looks forward to playing again with former Falcons Garren Vroman and Zane Rice. Wells had a front-row seat to Vroman’s incredible senior season in 2021, as the running back smashed every school record as one of the best players in the state.

Every Eagles football fan hopes that the two can help Coach Brown turn around a CMU team that one just one game a year ago.

“It’s always fun to see these guys realize their dreams of playing at the next level,” said Coach Thompson. “I’m excited for Ben. He’s a great guy and talented player. I look forward to watching his college career.”

Central opens the 2023 season at home on Saturday, September 2, against Graceland University. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.