SHELBY — Brayden DeVito has been cleared for takeoff.

Shelby’s record-setting quarterback, DeVito committed to play football for the U.S. Air Force Academy in an announcement he posted on social media Sunday.

Air Force is a member of the 14-school Mountain West Conference.

A rising senior, DeVito has re-written Shelby’s record book in his three varsity seasons. He already has thrown for 9,645 yards and 85 touchdowns and rushed for 3,280 yards and 47 scores.


“They’re getting a phenomenal young man, first and foremost, and a kid who loves to work,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said. “And he’s got the talent to go along with it.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound DeVito completed 199 of 294 passes for 3,625 yards and 33 TDs last fall. He rushed for 1,560 yards and 26 scores on 188 carries, leading the Whippets (12-1) to the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the Division IV regional semifinals.

Shelby fell to Ontario 49-48 at Arlin Field in the regional semis. DeVito accounted for 441 yards and six TDs in the loss.

DeVito is a two-time first-team All-Ohioan in football and a first-teamer in basketball. He also was a member of Shelby’s state-placing 4×100 meter relay team, making him a three-sport All-Ohioan.

Air Force, located about eight miles north of Colorado Springs, Colo., finished 5-7 last year and tied for fifth in the Mountain West at 3-4.

The Falcons were a combined 29-10 with three bowl wins from 2021 to 2023.


“Colleges would come in and say the could see him as a receiver. I would say, ‘He has over 9,500 yards passing,” Maheney said. “Air Force was one of the four or five schools that would give him the opportunity to play quarterback.”

Troy Calhoun has been the team’s head coach since 2007, with 135 wins and 89 losses. The triple option offense has been a staple of the Falcons’ offense for many years.

The USAFA is a service academy that educates cadets for service in the officer corps for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

Graduates of the academy’s four-year program receive a bachelor of science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.

It’s the second significant D-1 college football announcement in Richland County in the last three days.

Lexington tight end Brayden Fogle announced on Friday he will play at the University of Georgia.