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Rodney Coe: From Junior College to the NFL Draft
By Lucas Polglaze
Rodney Coe has had a long journey to the NFL ranks, with stops at Iowa, Iowa Western, Iowa State and Akron. Yet, he remains motivated towards his ultimate goal of playing in the big leagues. | Photo Credit: ZipsNation.org
It seems as though every year we hear about the unlikely story of one player or another making it to the NFL. This year, Rodney Coe would have to qualify as one of the more unlikely ones. He played for three different college teams (Akron, Iowa State, Iowa Western), originally committed to another (Iowa) and went through one of the more bizarre position changes you're likely to see.
At Edwardsville High School in Illinois, Coe grew up playing running back. Coming out of high school, he stood 6'3" and weighed 230 lbs, but his mind hadn't always been focused on the gridiron. "I always grew up watching football because I liked it. It was a good way growing up to take out my anger. But basketball was definitely my first love," he says. With offers from Notre Dame, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and Illinois, among others, he was undoubtedly sought-after coming out of high school. Everyone wanted a look at the RB/LB who played aggressively both ways, including rushing for over 2,000 yards in high school. After a decorated high school tenure, Coe committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes. That's when things changed.
Coe says now of that senior year in high school, "I wasn't the smartest, ACT scores came out, I didn't score high enough. That's why I had to go to junior college." Coe ultimately was forced to go to Iowa Western Community College, where he played two seasons for the Reivers. When he arrived, it was back to old habits in the offensive backfield, but things had changed: "Once I found I was going to junior college, I kinda got in a little downer stage and I just did my own thing, which was I picked up probably 25-30 pounds of weight going to junior college. So then, first year of junior college, I played running back at 260." Coe had 80 carries for 468 yards and 8 TDs that year.
***snip***
Lucas Polglaze is the Director of NFL Content and a Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Find him on Twitter at @LucPolglaze.
http://profootballspot.com/nfl-draf...coe-from-junior-college-to-the-nfl-draft-r80/
By Lucas Polglaze
- 29 March
Rodney Coe has had a long journey to the NFL ranks, with stops at Iowa, Iowa Western, Iowa State and Akron. Yet, he remains motivated towards his ultimate goal of playing in the big leagues. | Photo Credit: ZipsNation.org
It seems as though every year we hear about the unlikely story of one player or another making it to the NFL. This year, Rodney Coe would have to qualify as one of the more unlikely ones. He played for three different college teams (Akron, Iowa State, Iowa Western), originally committed to another (Iowa) and went through one of the more bizarre position changes you're likely to see.
At Edwardsville High School in Illinois, Coe grew up playing running back. Coming out of high school, he stood 6'3" and weighed 230 lbs, but his mind hadn't always been focused on the gridiron. "I always grew up watching football because I liked it. It was a good way growing up to take out my anger. But basketball was definitely my first love," he says. With offers from Notre Dame, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and Illinois, among others, he was undoubtedly sought-after coming out of high school. Everyone wanted a look at the RB/LB who played aggressively both ways, including rushing for over 2,000 yards in high school. After a decorated high school tenure, Coe committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes. That's when things changed.
Coe says now of that senior year in high school, "I wasn't the smartest, ACT scores came out, I didn't score high enough. That's why I had to go to junior college." Coe ultimately was forced to go to Iowa Western Community College, where he played two seasons for the Reivers. When he arrived, it was back to old habits in the offensive backfield, but things had changed: "Once I found I was going to junior college, I kinda got in a little downer stage and I just did my own thing, which was I picked up probably 25-30 pounds of weight going to junior college. So then, first year of junior college, I played running back at 260." Coe had 80 carries for 468 yards and 8 TDs that year.
***snip***
Lucas Polglaze is the Director of NFL Content and a Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Find him on Twitter at @LucPolglaze.
http://profootballspot.com/nfl-draf...coe-from-junior-college-to-the-nfl-draft-r80/