Keith Anthony picked off six
passes for Huntingdon last season and could get a pro contract out
of it. Huntingdon athletics photo |
Huntingdon seniors Cody Pearcy and Keith Anthony were record
setters during their four seasons with the Hawks’ football
program.
Pearcy set the standard for Huntingdon receivers and owns the
program’s career marks for receptions, receiving yards and
receiving touchdowns. On the opposite side of the ball, Anthony was
equally impressive as a defensive back and finished his college
career as Huntingdon’s career leader in interceptions and
second all-time leading tackler.
Now, the two hope to become the first players in Huntingdon's
relatively short football history to reach the professional
level.
During recent weeks, Pearcy has drawn attention from scouts in the
National Football League and Anthony has earned an invitation to a
Canadian Football League training camp.
“I’ve talked to Keith and I’m pumped for both of
us,” Pearcy said. “We’ve played together and
grown close at Huntingdon. To see both of us have opportunities
like this, I couldn’t be more excited for Keith, myself and
the Huntingdon program.
“Without Huntingdon, neither one of us would be where we are.
Both of us are trying to take a dream and make it a
reality.”
Pearcy has been contacted by eight NFL teams and Anthony has been
invited to the Edmonton Eskimos training camp in early June.
“Having an opportunity like this has been a dream of
mine,” Anthony said. “It’s exciting for me and
I’m excited to see Cody having the opportunities he’s
having. I would love to see both of us be successful.”
Huntingdon coach Mike Turk said he’s happy to see the two
making the most of their opportunities.
“The thing I’m tickled about is that they’ve
worked to get an opportunity and they’ve taken advantage of
it by excelling in front of the scouts,” Turk said. “A
lot of people don’t handle situations like that very well and
they get nervous. But these guys rose to the challenge and turned
some heads. I’m excited for both of them and I hope something
good works out.”
Pearcy’s performance at a recent pro day at Alabama State was
what first caught the attention of scouts, as well as SI.com and
CBSSports.com. The day after the ASU pro day, SI.com wrote,
“Yesterday's workout bought the small-school receiver a
ticket to rookie minicamp ...”
CBSSports.com stated that Pearcy is one of two sleeper receiver
prospects that “are creating a huge buzz in the scouting
community” and “don’t be surprised if both
ultimately hear their names called on the draft’s third
day.”
CBSSports.com also put Pearcy’s pro day numbers in
perspective. According to NFL.com’s Combine Tracker,
Pearcy’s 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash and his 44-inch
vertical leap would be tops among this year’s NFL combine
participants. His vertical jump would be tied for the second best
since 2006. Combine results prior to 2006 are not listed on
NFL.com’s site.
Pearcy also ran the three-cone drill in 6.67 seconds, had a broad
jump of 10-feet, six inches and ran the short shuttle in 3.76
seconds. His time in the short shuttle is the fastest since 2006.
CBSSports.com pointed out that former University of Tennessee and
current Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Jason Allen held the
previous mark of 3.81 seconds. Allen was the 16th overall pick in
the 2006 draft.
“It’s been overwhelming, but in a good way. I
haven’t had much time to step back and take it all in,”
Pearcy said on Monday as he was about to mail copies of his game
films to the New York Jets. “It’s been a humbling
experience.”
Pearcy said the Jets contacted him Sunday night, making them the
most recent NFL team to show interest. Seven teams (Miami Dolphins,
New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots,
Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks) had
already contacted Pearcy.
Anthony caught the Eskimos’ attention at a recent workout in
Mobile. Anthony wasn’t sure of the number of players trying
out at the Mobile workout, but he was one of a handful of defensive
backs invited to the Eskimos’ training camp.
Anthony, who played safety for Huntingdon, worked out as a
cornerback for the Eskimos.
“I told them I could play corner or safety,” Anthony
said. “It was a little different playing cornerback, but they
told me they liked what they saw.”
On the advice of his agent, Anthony plans to work out for a few
more teams to see what his options could be. But, he said already
having an invitation to one training camp is a good feeling.
“Knowing I’ve already been invited to one training camp
relieves a little pressure,” Anthony said. “That
doesn’t mean I’m going to be complacent, but I
don’t think I will be as nervous in the future. I think being
able to relax will allow me to perform better.
“I have a good opportunity in front of me and I want to make
the most of it.”