Javonte Graves-Billips had a decision to make — go to physical therapy school and start his life after football or return to The Citadel for his final year of eligibility.
The Mobile, Ala., native had nothing left to prove in the classroom or on the football field.
He graduated from the downtown military school with a degree in exercise science, had been steady performer for the past four seasons and was The Citadel’s top pass catcher in 2024. Graves-Billips had even served as the program’s military captain during his senior campaign, a prestigious honor for any cadet-athlete.
Graves-Billips loved the game and his teammates.
But starting the next chapter of his life and moving closer to his Alabama roots were also tugging at his heart.
“I was getting pulled in different directions,” said Graves-Billips, who had 31 receptions for 429 yards last season. “I wanted to be closer to my family back in Alabama, but then I had my family here at The Citadel, my teammates and the coaches, and I wanted to have one more season with them.”
In the end, despite being accepted by two Alabama-based universities for physical therapy school, his Citadel family won out.
“I felt like I still had a lot to prove,” Graves-Billips said. “I looked at all the statistics from last year in the Southern Conference, and I felt like I could beat this guy and beat that guy, and I still have that competitive hunger to get back and show my teammates that I want to go to the next level and help them win in the Southern Conference.”
The Citadel coach Maurice Drayton couldn’t be happier to have Graves-Billips back for another season.
“Javonte brings so much to the table, so we were ecstatic that he decided to come back,” Drayton said. “He’s very close to his family, so I know the decision to return was very hard on him.”
It’s not just what Graves-Billips brings to the field — he’s the Bulldogs’ top receiver through three games with eight catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns — that makes him so valuable to the program.
“From an experience standpoint, from a maturity standpoint, he’s seen a lot of things inside and outside the gates here at The Citadel,” Drayton said. “He’s able to educate and be that big brother figure to a lot of the knobs and freshmen that are in the battalions and the barracks that don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s so much value in that.
“There are so many guys on this team that have committed selfless acts. He’s one of many, and that’s the kind of culture we’re trying to build here.”
Of course, being one of the most reliable receivers with game-breaking speed doesn’t hurt his cause either.
“Javonte has been able to get behind a few defensive backs in our conference,” Drayton said. “Hopefully, that will continue for the rest of the season. You have to have that deep threat in the passing game. You need a guy that can take the top off the defense and open things up. Javonte is one of those guys that can challenge a defense vertically.”
His big-play ability was on full display in his home state of Alabama just two weeks ago against Samford when he caught a career-high six passes for 139 yards and two TDs in a 40-13 victory.
“It was a great moment, a great afternoon for myself and my family,” Graves-Billips said. “It was great to be able to show out with my family out there watching me.”
Graves-Billips, who was recruited as a running back out of high school, also showed off his versatility last Saturday, turning in a 54-yard run against Gardner-Webb that set up the Bulldogs’ first touchdown.