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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (February 10, 2011) - Having just finished an impressive senior campaign at Cheshire Academy (Cheshire, CT), Cody Keith has forever left his name in the record books of Connecticut High School Football.
It was a season most quarterbacks dream of having: 3,840 passing yards with 241 completions on 368 attempts (an impressive 67% completion rate) and 39 TD passes. His average of 427 passing yards per game is second in the nation only to Maty Mauk, a signal caller from Ohio. In addition to these staggering stats, Keith now owns records for the most passing yards in a season 3,840 (breaking the previous record of 3,558 yards set in 2005), most passing yards in game with 637 (previous record was 599 set in 1970), average passing yards per game 427 (previous record of 324 set in 2000), most single game completions with 40 (previous record was 38 set in 2007), most completions in a season with 241(previous record was 236 set in 2003), and most touchdown passes in a season 39 (ties previous record of 39 set in 2008).
With this laundry list of accolades, it should be no surprise that CBS College Sports Network and MaxPreps.com recruiting expert Tom Lemming named Keith “National Prep Player of the Year”.
Says Lemming, “As a football player he (Cody) has to be ranked as one of the top quarterbacks in the country”. He continues, “He has great athletic ability, great feet, and the ability to throw the ball down the field with authority. He’s an impressive high school quarterback that will easily make the next step to Division 1 football”.
Keith’s historical season confirmed what East Carolina Head Coach Ruffin McNeill (in addition to Miami, NC State, and Colorado) saw in Keith when extending scholarship offers in the summer of 2010. For Keith, a mature 19-year-old who threw for 1200 yards and 16 touchdowns in two games this year, he couldn’t be happier to be playing college football in his home state of North Carolina.
“It means a lot to come back to North Carolina and get a chance to play for Coach McNeill and be close to my family. The experiences I’ve had the past four years have helped shape me into the player I am today and I really look forward to competing and growing with East Carolina” says Keith.
Recently, Keith was selected to play for the 2011 U.S. Under-19 National Team, assembled by USA Football. On February 2, 2011, Keith quarterbacked team USA as they took on the World team during the second Team USA vs. The World game in Austin, Texas. Keith was one of 45 U.S. high school seniors invited to take part in the game held on National Signing Day in front of an international audience. Keith helped lead Team USA to a 21-14 victory.
“It was an honor to be selected to the U.S National Team and to represent our country in what was the final game of my high school career. I’m very grateful for the support of my teammates and family throughout the years. Without them, I would not have been able to achieve everything I did”, said Keith.
Helping develop Cody into the player he is today is his quarterback Coach Joe Dickinson, who has trained Tampa Bay Buccaneers QBs Josh Freeman and Rudy Carpenter, USC's Matt Barkley, and Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman. “Cody is the complete package and has all the makings of a great quarterback. I’m so happy for Cody and his family, and I look forward to watching him succeed at ECU and beyond. He is one of the most talented and dedicated quarterbacks I’ve had the opportunity work with”.
Keith has found himself back in his home state of North Carolina, with his family support stronger than ever and a scholarship to play Division 1 football. Look for Cody Keith to apply all these lessons and years of hard work on the football field when his number is called to be the next leader for the Pirates.
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