ShowMeBear2
August 3rd, 2007, 06:33 PM
Both wrists wrapped tightly with tape, a white towel hanging below his jersey and helmet pulled snugly down almost to eye level, Cody Kirby looked like a quarterback in his first day of practice at Missouri State.
In fact, in the yellow jersey and black shorts, he looked a little like Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.
"He's had one practice," Bears' coach Terry Allen said with a laugh. "He has a lot of upside, but we'll have to see how he develops. How do you know after one practice?"
Even if Allen is cautious publicly not to laud a 19-year-old quarterback yet to take a snap in a college game, it's not a secret that Kirby is the centerpiece of a 30-player recruiting class expected to become the foundation of the program's future.
Aside from his attire on Wednesday, there are some similarities to Missouri's quarterback. Like Daniel, Kirby is considered an undersized quarterback. At 5-foot-11, the Rogers, Ark., native was passed over by bigger schools because of his height.
"You can't worry about things that you can't control," Kirby said. "You can't let that get in your mind-set."
In a standout senior season at Rogers High School, Kirby passed for 3,500 yards and 34 touchdowns. But, like Daniel, Kirby isn't just a dropback passer. He has been clocked at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash and rushed for more than 800 yards last season.
"He's a fabulous playmaker," said Max Emfinger, who runs a national high school football recruiting Web site. "The bottom line is that he's a great athlete at quarterback. He's a shade under 6 foot and that will hurt him in some aspects, but he throws well on the run and he's a leader."
Despite the accolades, Kirby far from has the job won. Tyler Horner and Matt Krapfl return for their sophomore seasons with a year of experience and had the spring to digest the new no-huddle offense.
Kirby ran a similar offense in high school, but admits there is some learning to do. He said Horner and Krapfl have helped, despite the competition.
"On the field it's all about competition," Kirby said. "But off the field, we know we have to grow as a team. Not just as quarterbacks, but everybody. There are no off-the-field grudges going on."
Although Kirby's only Division I-A offer came from Arkansas State, Emfinger said he stacks up with the top quarterbacks in the country in most categories, including arm strength, accuracy and mobility.
He also carries himself with a confidence that comes with playing the position since the fifth grade.
"The one thing we knew through recruiting was that he was a natural born leader," Allen said. "You don't teach that. He carries himself with confidence and he has a strong arm so those are pretty good factors."
But Allen stopped there, just as the sun set on the first day of practice, emphasizing again that Kirby has a long way to go to win a starting job.
"Matt and Tyler have gotten the experience and they are that much better quarterbacks," he said. "Cody would have to be that much farther advanced for us to go in that direction. Am I opposed to it? No. But it's going to take quite a bit for that to happen."
Bears notes
- Junior Chris Geisz has been moved from wide receiver to safety for now, Allen said.
Geisz caught 24 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Allen said the transition was made necessary when redshirt freshman Skylar Smith went down with a knee injury in the spring and junior Darren Dula dropped out of school due to academics.
- After seeing time at quarterback in the spring, Mountain Grove native Jared Emery has been shuttled back to receiver.
Emery played in four games last year as a redshirt freshman, completing one pass.
http://cmsimg.news-leader.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DO&Date=20070802&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=708020375&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&MaxH=400&Border=0
In fact, in the yellow jersey and black shorts, he looked a little like Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.
"He's had one practice," Bears' coach Terry Allen said with a laugh. "He has a lot of upside, but we'll have to see how he develops. How do you know after one practice?"
Even if Allen is cautious publicly not to laud a 19-year-old quarterback yet to take a snap in a college game, it's not a secret that Kirby is the centerpiece of a 30-player recruiting class expected to become the foundation of the program's future.
Aside from his attire on Wednesday, there are some similarities to Missouri's quarterback. Like Daniel, Kirby is considered an undersized quarterback. At 5-foot-11, the Rogers, Ark., native was passed over by bigger schools because of his height.
"You can't worry about things that you can't control," Kirby said. "You can't let that get in your mind-set."
In a standout senior season at Rogers High School, Kirby passed for 3,500 yards and 34 touchdowns. But, like Daniel, Kirby isn't just a dropback passer. He has been clocked at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash and rushed for more than 800 yards last season.
"He's a fabulous playmaker," said Max Emfinger, who runs a national high school football recruiting Web site. "The bottom line is that he's a great athlete at quarterback. He's a shade under 6 foot and that will hurt him in some aspects, but he throws well on the run and he's a leader."
Despite the accolades, Kirby far from has the job won. Tyler Horner and Matt Krapfl return for their sophomore seasons with a year of experience and had the spring to digest the new no-huddle offense.
Kirby ran a similar offense in high school, but admits there is some learning to do. He said Horner and Krapfl have helped, despite the competition.
"On the field it's all about competition," Kirby said. "But off the field, we know we have to grow as a team. Not just as quarterbacks, but everybody. There are no off-the-field grudges going on."
Although Kirby's only Division I-A offer came from Arkansas State, Emfinger said he stacks up with the top quarterbacks in the country in most categories, including arm strength, accuracy and mobility.
He also carries himself with a confidence that comes with playing the position since the fifth grade.
"The one thing we knew through recruiting was that he was a natural born leader," Allen said. "You don't teach that. He carries himself with confidence and he has a strong arm so those are pretty good factors."
But Allen stopped there, just as the sun set on the first day of practice, emphasizing again that Kirby has a long way to go to win a starting job.
"Matt and Tyler have gotten the experience and they are that much better quarterbacks," he said. "Cody would have to be that much farther advanced for us to go in that direction. Am I opposed to it? No. But it's going to take quite a bit for that to happen."
Bears notes
- Junior Chris Geisz has been moved from wide receiver to safety for now, Allen said.
Geisz caught 24 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Allen said the transition was made necessary when redshirt freshman Skylar Smith went down with a knee injury in the spring and junior Darren Dula dropped out of school due to academics.
- After seeing time at quarterback in the spring, Mountain Grove native Jared Emery has been shuttled back to receiver.
Emery played in four games last year as a redshirt freshman, completing one pass.
http://cmsimg.news-leader.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DO&Date=20070802&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=708020375&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&MaxH=400&Border=0