Team Kentucky’s 7th grade Future Stars team couldn’t have a better couple of QBs. We will get to Cole Hodge, who is splendid in his own right. Today we wish to fill you in on the incredible physical feats of present 7th grader, rising 8th grader, and Class of 2024’s Joshuah Keith.
We have called him “Splendiferous.” What we could have called him is “Herculean,” or “Beowulfian,” or “Achillesian,” or any other ancient mythic hero from the various mythologies in existence. For the record, KPGFootball would probably pick Hercules or Beowulf over Achilles as we don’t think attacking Josuah Keith’s heel would do very much. With Keith’s speed, the heel is about all of him opponents will have much chance at striking anyway.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “splendiferous” as meaning “excellent, or very beautiful and special.” It has as synonyms “excellent,” “glorious,” “magnificent,” “resplendent,” and “splendid.” If you are new to this site you will learn quickly KPGFootball is staffed by wordsmiths. We consider the words we use carefully before using them. We used “splendiferous” to describe Keith on purpose.
There is the excellent way he comports and conducts himself both on and off the field. There is the beautiful spiral and arch with which he rifles a football down the field with accuracy. There is the special athleticism which makes him a once-in-a-lifetime prospect at his position. Yeah, we used “splendiferous” to describe him because it fits so well.
Joshuah Keith was selected to the Bret Cooper Junior All-American game where he ran first-team on the 15 and under East squad in spite of only being 13 years old. He was awarded the “Russell Wilson Award” by the Bret Cooper staff for his play. How entirely appropriate that awarding would prove to be.
Joshauh Keith ran a 4.7 second, 40-yard dash at the Bret Cooper; ran a 4.73 second, 40-yard dash at a BAGOS elite combine; then ran a 4.69 second, 40-yard dash at the Future Stars combine in Barren County. This is a kid who is 5-8 and only in 7th grade. In case you want to argue the 40 just measures straight line speed and not agility and athleticism, which is true, then consider the 4.0 second, short-shuttle (5-10-5) the kid dropped at the Appalachia Prep Combine. Case closed.
Surely, Joshuah Keith is a sprint out guy who can’t really stand tall and deliver the ball down the field, right? Sure, he can throw the slant, speed-out, and a variety of intermediate and short routes, but what about his ability to deliver the ball to the vertical routes?
Consider this…Keith tossed the football 50-yards in the air the summer between 7th and 8th grade at Murray State’s QB camp which selected him the outstanding QB between 7th and 10th grade. Yesterday in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Gunslinger QB-Challenge, with QBs there being recruited and holding Division I offers, Keith was among the longest tosses at the entire challenge delivering a football 59-yards in the air.
To put the 59 yard toss into perspective for you we will link you to an interview Tom Brady gave the television show “60 Minutes.” In the interview, the greatest QB to ever play the game said the farthest an NFL QB is ever called upon to throw a ball is between 50-55 yards in the air. Brady went on to say he could probably throw a ball 70 yards if he “ran into it.”
So if you are in easy driving distance on June 15, 2019, head on to Fortera Stadium and watch the three Kentucky-Tennessee Future Stars Classics. Marvel at the excellent, beautiful, and special way these young men are able to play the game of football so well at such an early age. Don’t forget to check out the QB play of Joshuah Keith while your at it. KPGFootball can assure you of this fact; you won’t see his equal, especially at such an early age, pass by your way again anytime soon.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply