Discipline isn’t a foreign concept to Brandon Lassiter and Nathan Hickey.

Having played under the watchful eye of Lawrence High football coach Dirk Wedd, the two are accustomed to following strict rules geared toward shaping success and team unity – all the way down to the style of socks they wore on game nights.

Still, chances are they’re in for a bit of an eye-opener at their next stop.

The two LHS seniors signed letters of intent Wednesday to continue their careers at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., becoming the first LHS grads since fullback Brandon McAnderson in 2003 to sign to play football at a Division I university.

“It’s always been a goal for me to do something like this,” Hickey said after the signing ceremony in front of a throng of students and teachers in the LHS cafeteria. “To play at that level is going to be great.”

Of course, football will be a small part of the equation for the Lions, who must report for basic training in June, weather the myriad military-school rituals heaped on incoming freshmen and maintain four years of stellar standing in a challenging academic curriculum in addition to proving their worth on the field.

“Everyone says first semester as a freshman is the toughest, that if you can do that, you can do anything,” Lassiter said. “I’m pretty much ready for the challenge.”

Lawrence High seniors Brandon Lassiter, left, and Nathan Hickey pose outside the school after signing their football letters of intent with Air Force. The Lions signed Wednesday at LHS.

The easiest part might be football.

Both Hickey and Lassiter filled a number of roles for the Lions during their varsity careers, which wrapped up in November with a run to the Class 6A state semifinals.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Hickey rushed for 560 yards and 11 touchdowns and manned a cornerback spot in the LHS secondary. In addition to Air Force, he seriously considered staying close to home to play for Washburn University, an NCAA Division II program.

Lassiter used his 5-11, 175-pound frame to rack up 650 yards of total offense and six touchdowns as a slot receiver and doubled as a shutdown cornerback on defense. In addition to the Falcons, he received strong interest from Northern Iowa, an NCAA I-AA outfit.

Where Hickey and Lassiter line up for the Falcons won’t be determined until August, when they report for their rookie fall camp. They do know they’ll have to prove themselves right away – there is no red-shirt option at the service academies.

• 6Sports video: Two Lawrence High players headed to Colorado Springs

“They recruited them as athletes – that’s the bottom line,” Wedd said.

If you’re strictly speaking football, that is.

When it comes to the Air Force Academy, the true barometer is finding recruits who fit a profile that extends far beyond a fast time in the 40-yard dash and the ability to excel in coach Fisher DeBerry’s beloved wishbone offense.

In that respect, Wedd believes the Falcons landed two gems.

“When I was talking to the crowd, I mentioned character and academics long before I ever brought up football,” said Wedd, referencing his remarks during the ceremony. “They’re some high-character kids. They know right from wrong, and they make the right choices. You can win football games with those types of kids right there.

“The whipped cream on the sundae is they’re talented athletes.”

In October, after a loss to TCU, DeBerry found himself in hot water after he remarked that the Horned Frogs “had a lot more Afro-American players than we did, and they ran a lot faster than we did.”

Hickey and Lassiter are black, but neither is concerned about any racial overtones within the Air Force program.

“I don’t blame him for saying that. I don’t find anything wrong with it,” Lassiter said. “I just want to go play.”

“Coach DeBerry is a good guy,” Hickey added. “I think he was just being honest.”