Early Years
Cody was born in Fort Myers, Florida. As a child, he wore size-10 shoes by the age of eight and was never eligible for the Pop Warner youth leagues because he was always over the weight limit. He attended Riverdale High School in Fort Myers. Already 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and 275 lb (125 kg) as a ninth-grader, Cody began playing high school football and displayed a high degree of athleticism, causing his high school coach, Scott Jones, to predict "he could be making $2 million playing in the NFL" at some point. He played only two years of varsity football: as a freshman and then as a senior. He struggled academically, had to help take care of his seven younger siblings, and ended up “running with the wrong crowd”.
After sitting out his sophomore and junior seasons, Cody dominated as a senior. In a game against North Fort Myers, he had a memorable collision with star running back Noel Devine. “Terrence hit and spun Noel Devine so hard that was on the sideline puking,” coach Jones said.
Cody was not ranked among the nation's elite football prospects in 2006 by any recruiting service. Nonetheless he was offered athletic scholarships by the University of Miami and the University of South Florida, but could not qualify academically. Cody eventually signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Read more about this topic: Terrence Cody
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