For Houston (Tx.) North Shore wide receiver Ralph Davis his decision to commit to West Virginia is one that has been over a decade in the making.

That’s because when Davis was a child he traveled to Morgantown in order to watch his cousin Chris Henry suit up for the Mountaineers and from that moment on it became a dream of his to follow in his footsteps. And as the years passed that desire grew even stronger.

“It was my dream school. I saw Chris play in a game and ever since then I had been on the Mountaineers hard,” he said. “That was where I wanted to go.”

That dream became more of a reality when the Mountaineers extended a scholarship offer prior to his junior year and at the time he had to fight back the urge not to accept it. So, Davis took visits to a number of college campuses such as Oklahoma, Georgia, Auburn and LSU while other scholarships started to file in from Mississippi and Colorado State.

But still he couldn’t shake the feeling he had over the Mountaineers.

“At that moment I knew I wanted to commit but I felt I had to wait a little bit,” he said. “But I knew in my heart that I wanted to go to West Virginia.”

Davis took an unofficial visit to Morgantown last week and that visit only further cemented that feeling as he realized that it wasn’t just a childhood fantasy, he could actually see himself as a Mountaineer.

“I felt like I could stay out there,” he said.

The Rivals.com three-star prospect ended any suspense Thursday when he called lead recruiter wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier to tell him that he was ready to end the process. The two were naturally excited over the news and Davis’ family was ecstatic knowing that he was keeping a family tradition alive following in the footsteps of his late cousin Henry who tragically passed away in 2009.

“I’ve been thinking about this since I was a kid growing up and watching him. I wanted to be just like him and now I’m living that dream,” he said. “They’re all excited.”

Davis, 6-foot, 173-pounds, is expected to play the outside Z wide receiver spot in the Mountaineers offense and the coaching staff was attracted to not only his speed but his hands and route running.

The talented wide receiver considers his recruitment now a closed book and plans to sign his letter of intent with the Mountaineers in December before enrolling in the summer.

“It’s a done deal. I can’t wait to get to West Virginia,” he said.