Hallmarks : Kirby dazzles coaches as Music City MVP
Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Cody Kirby might have thrown better just once in his life than he did in Nashville last weekend.
And that would have been that foggy spring morning Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis was at Gates Stadium to get a glimpse of All-America tackle Lee Ziemba, who Rivals. com this week ranked as the 37 th top prospect in America.
Kirby’s passes were extra sharp and his velocity in hyperspeed in front of Weis and the Notre Dame offensive coordinator. Which is not to say the Rogers Mounties ’ senior quarterback is thinking for a second," Irish?"
Kirby’s too short to think seriously about playing quarterback at a major Division I school. His two broken ankles in two seasons are suspect, too.
That’s just to say how well Kirby threw the ball at the Music City Classic hosted last Friday and Saturday by Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.
Kirby was voted the MVP of the 22-team, 7-on-7 tournament, which featured the toughest summer competition Rogers has ever played against.
The Mounties came up four points short of South Carolina powerhouse Byrnes High School in the championship game. Byrnes was led by Clemson commit and Rivals. com’s No. 3 prospect, Willy Korn, at quarterback.
The Vanderbilt coaches were just agog over Kirby, whose stat sheet was so fat you could have choked a chicken with it.
Said one observer: "Vanderbilt’s assistant for football operations came up personally to Cody and said, ‘We don’t have room here at Vanderbilt.’ He said, ‘ You’re going to get your shot. Don’t know where it’s going to be, but you’ll get your shot. ’"
Kirby completed 214 of 259 passes and 49 touchdowns for 2,607 yards in 14 games.
Korn was 210 of 266 with 42 touchdown passes.
Kirby threw just two interceptions the entire tournament. He completed 146 of 179 passes for 1,846 yards and 35 touchdowns through 10 games of pool play.
He then completed 68 of 80 passes for 761 yards and 14 touchdowns in the four tournament games.
Games are played on a 50-yard field and snaps are taken from the 5. Anywhere from 30 to 40 college coaches marched up and down those 50 yards keeping up with the Rogers quarterback, who wants very much to play college football.
He’s traveling far and wide to show coaches his potential, too.
He worked out at Arkansas State on Tuesday and goes to Division III giant Mount Union College — with its eight national championships — in Ohio next week.
The Mounties are at a summer team camp at Missouri State today and Friday. Rice has asked Kirby to come down to Houston in a couple of weeks.
Kirby will end up making someone a fine quarterback. If he plays the entire fall season injury free, that "someone"could end up being an eyeopener.
His best throwing days are still ahead of him.
Jim Hall is a part time sports writer for The Benton County Daily Record and can be reached by e-mail at jimh@nwanews.com.
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