Davis Shanley eventually wants to become the face of Western Kentucky football. But right now, the Hilltoppers already have such a player in quarterback Mike White.

So Shanley, a freshman QB from Duluth, Ga., said he’s doing everything he can this season to learn from WKU’s returning starter at the position.

“I always believe that quarterbacks are the face of programs,” Shanley told the Daily News on Thursday. “They’re always the leader of teams and they need to set the best example for everybody – not just the football team but everyone on campus.

“I strive to be like one of those players, such as Mike White.”

Shanley’s picked a good mentor to learn from in White, a redshirt senior. The former South Florida transfer took the Topper offense’s reins last season and led WKU to Conference USA and Boca Raton Bowl championships.

White completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,363 yards (311.6 per game) with 37 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He was named C-USA’s 2016 Newcomer of the Year.

White took part last month in the prestigious Manning Passing Academy as a counselor, where he got the chance to train young quarterbacks. Now White, plus fellow returning QBs Drew Eckels and Steven Duncan, are tutoring another young QB in Shanley, who he said is “doing really well” since joining the program this summer.

“In meetings, he’s always asking all the right questions,” White said of Shanley. “Any of the vets, he’s pulling us aside and really getting the mental reps.

“He might not be getting all the reps he wishes he could be getting right now just because he has to learn. But he’s doing a great job of embracing that.”

Shanley said he’s been walking in White’s footsteps since he arrived on campus.

“Being around Mike truly helps,” Shanley said. “He’s been very open in allowing me to kind of shadow him and help me adapt to being in this college environment. Especially with the offense and all the new players and new environment, he’s welcomed me with open arms and I appreciate that.”

Shanley (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) committed to WKU last August out of South Forsyth High School in his native Georgia.

Over a two-year high school career, Shanley tallied 4,017 passing yards while completing 60.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 39 touchdowns. He added 1,094 yards on the ground with 15 rushing scores.

Shanley said he thinks of himself as “a quarterback that can run” rather than as a true dual-threat QB.

Shanley said upon his commitment that he also had scholarship offers from Kent State, Old Dominion and FCS schools Mercer and Samford.

Jeff Brohm coached the Hilltopper program Shanley committed to in August. In between that time and February’s National Signing Day, Brohm left for Purdue and Mike Sanford took his place at WKU.

Many of the verbal commits who pledged to the Tops under Brohm ended up elsewhere by Feb. 1. Shanley didn’t.

Sanford and his new quarterbacks coach Steve Spurrier Jr. spent time with Shanley and told him they still wanted him to come to WKU.

“I knew with this new staff that they were going to take this program to a new level,” Shanley said. “Coach Sanford and coach Spurrier come from great programs. I knew that they could help me develop not only as a player but as a man. That was truly important to me.

“As soon as I started building relationships with these coaches I knew this was somewhere I wanted to spend the next four years of my college career.”

Sanford told a story on National Signing Day about playing pingpong with Shanley on his home visit and finding out what a competitor the young quarterback was. The coach said then that the QB beat him 21-8.

Shanley laughed Thursday when reminded of that moment during his recruitment.

“He’s a very good player,” Shanley said. “He gave me a good matchup.

“I like to see myself as a competitor in all facets of life, from how I am as a student to how I am as a player. I think that I can bring that every day, from workouts to running to throwing every day on the field.

“I love to compete. I was born to compete.”{&end}