Defensive end
Dan Cody made it easy for the faithful of the University
of Oklahoma to forget the early departure of Jimmy
Wilkerson to the NFL last year with his monstrous
performance in 2003. After a superb season, he was a
finalist for the Ted Hendricks award for the top defensive
end in college football and was named to the Consensus
All-Big 12 team.
As a true
freshman, Cody saw only spot duty before injuries
sidelined him. Then a battle with clinical
depression nearly ended his football career during his sophomore
year. Rebounding well, Cody stormed into his junior
year, leading the Sooners in sacks, with 10 for -65 yards,
and in tackles for a loss, with 17 for a -93 yards,
helping to make that ever prominent, ever present, and
ever awe-inspiring OU defense even more frightening than
before.
Through a very
difficult time, Cody persevered. “Part of the reason
I play and work so hard is that I don’t want to let the
guys down anymore,” Cody said. “They met me with open
arms, even when I abandoned them."
Cody, at 6'5"
and 260 lbs., has good size and strength, although 10-20
more pounds would make him simply lethal. Often double
teamed, he somehow manages to find the crease and
penetrate into the backfield as well as anyone you'll find
at his position. That perseverance he has seems due to the fact
that he has a fire in his furnace, a burning desire
and dedication, that won't let him quit.
He fights and rumbles with the biggest out there, yet
#80 still manages to be a permanent fixture in the
backfield, whether he is staring over the toppled running
back or gleaming at the quarterback through his own ear
hole. His quick feet and surprising agility for his frame
makes most offensive tackles very nervous.
Some say that
Cody doesn’t have an upside; I say they're wrong, Cody
only has an upside. He needs to work on a few things, one
is being a bit more explosive off the line and the other
being gaining a few pounds, both of which can easily be
accomplished. Dan Cody will dig the trench, take out the
lineman, and personally fill it with their worn out
derrières. He is a warrior in every sense of the word.
Cody will produce. He is a complete defensive end
that, in today's game, is very hard to find.
Dan Cody may
not be the top shiny name out there, but he should be. You may not have heard is name until now, but you will
continue to hear it more and more as time goes on. Thanks
to Dan Cody, OU's defense has not gone anywhere, in fact,
it is only getting stronger.
