Daniel Hunter is used to being the center of attention.

As Cullman’s starting center for the last three varsity seasons, he’s had plenty of practice.

The senior snagged the spotlight one last time as a Bearcat early Tuesday morning, taking the stage in the high school’s new lecture hall to sign a national letter of intent with Faulkner University. Hunter was accompanied by family, his coach and a pair of administrators as he splashed some ink to join the Eagles, a member of the NAIA’s Mid-South Conference for football.

“It’s a pretty big day,” he said. “This has been a goal for me since I understood what football was. I’m really I’m able to finally, as coach (Mark) Britton said earlier, sign my life away. But I think I really will enjoy it.”

Hunter will head south this fall to pursue his gridiron aspirations and begin his studies in theology to eventually become a preacher. The 6-foot-2, 315-pounder feels right at home at a Christian school like Faulkner, where he said coaches care about shaping student-athletes into well-rounded individuals in all walks of life.

“They love their kids,” Hunter said. “They really try to instill winning, but they also make them get their grades in school. They make them have a good attitude outside of school. They discipline their kids very strictly. Then, it’s only two and a half hours away. It’s in Montgomery, so fairly close to mom and dad.”

Hunter sees a lot of similarities in his future coaching staff as he does the one he’ll soon leave behind in Cullman.

Under longtime leader Mark Britton, Hunter lined up under center for three different quarterbacks of varying heights, ranging from Ross Crocker at 5-foot-9 to Tyler Glenn at 6-foot-3. Crocker’s older brother, Zac, was the first signal-caller to take snaps from Tuesday’s signee and stood around 6-foot-1.

“I’ve grown up here. I’ve always known Cullman. I’ve always been hearing about Mark Britton, Mark Britton,” Hunter said. “I went to Good Hope first, so I didn’t really know who he was. But then I moved here and now obviously I know who he is. I love coach Britton. He’s done the same thing — instill winning, instill being a good player on the field and off the field.

“I just love Cullman High School and coach Britton as a whole.”

The love is mutual from Britton, who lauded Hunter’s leadership and self-driven work ethic. The coach believes the teen will be a big-time asset for Faulkner, which is still weighing using Hunter at center or guard.

Britton doesn’t think it will make a difference either way.

He said fans don’t generally notice centers until there’s a bad snap. In that case, Hunter wasn’t very noticeable throughout a productive prep career inside the cozy confines of Oliver Woodard Stadium.

The Black and Gold were 23-12 with two postseason appearances and three playoff wins with the trusty center calling the shots on the line.

“We’re really excited for Daniel,” Britton said. “We’ve kind of put him on a pedestal several times. He’s exactly the example of what we want for our younger kids to follow. He’s going to be greatly missed in our program but a huge plus for Faulkner. I just look for great things out of Daniel down there.”

Faulkner’s finished 9-3 each of the last two falls. Charlie Boren has a season under his belt as the Eagles’ head coach after spending two years as an assistant.