Genetics are tough. Shows this guy’s heart when you consider the work he put in despite the obstacles he faced. How many people’s lives spiral under the pressure of high/unrealistic expectation? God bless this man. This is a cautionary tale and deserves a full-blown documentary.
Good Video, really broke down just the basics of being a Star at a young age, but keeping your head on straight and not letting all the Hype go to your head, that is probably why Cody didn't Crash and do stupid things like so many do when your dreams meet reality and your career comes to an end. You said it best, Cody is a guy that loved playing ball, was super good, but it just wasn't in the cards for him to be an NFL player, just a good college player. He still did better than probably 90% of the kids that play, and the best thing about this story, Cody kept his head on straight the whole time.
Definitely no shame in that career. Football got him into a school and he got to play a game he loved for four years longer than most. He met his wife through football. Maybe a couple of inches taller, a few pounds heavier or a few tenths faster, the story would be different. I’m sure there are thousands of amateur sports athletes that could be said about. Me, personally, I’m happy for him. Looks like he’s living a good life.
Most of them end up like Normal people like us with normal jobs a select few make the league but most won’t truly be the superstar players they were hyped to be
@@flemlorapsRMthis is how I feel about coaches telling my mom she needs to pay 600 dollars for my brother to travel and play and promising that he’ll get eyes on him and it’ll get his name out there.
This is so common. When me and my cousin were 11-12 he was a RB and really quick and a highlight reel. I was fast and had good hands and was more of a natural athlete. By time he was in HS he was only 5-7, slow, and chubby and played backup center. I grew to 6-5, 220 and ran a 4.6 40 and ended up playing D-1 football. Anything pre-puberty is pointless for scouting. The body just changes or for some…doesn’t change much at all.
100%. Some kids hit puberty earlier than others. I also had a friend we used to swear was going to the league. Man was 5'7 185lbs in like 7th grade. He used to abuse the opponents in the games. Run for like 8 TDs a game... Fast forward to our senior year and his ass was 5'7 185lbs and wasnt even on the football team anymore.
excellent story... u are well spoken and very intelligent... and u know how to captivate an audience and hold them there thru out the video... huge props...
You gotta remember, the stats between Woodhead and Cody. Back then , it was more popular to run the rock and have a stellar defense. But within the past 5 to 10 years, passing the ball is the new cool trend. So I'm wondering if that affected Cody's stats, And even nowadays, the RB position has been unappreciated by the nfl as of late. So I'm wondering if Cody just got caught in between the transition of football trends. During the Reggie Bush days , rb's were highly sought after. But fast forward til now and even top RBs have to fight and prove they're worth a decent contract
Interesting point.Though, the RB position has been oversaturated with talent for thw last 3 decades.It's supply and demand where value dropped when the demand decreased.
I ran against him in high school when he was at Los Al lmao. He was a RU-vid legend. I appreciate the piece you did on my cousin Caylin Moore as well🫡🔥
I played defense against him senior year. He came up the middle on a draw in the 4th quarter and I laid him out. He was out cold for about ten minutes. We were all expecting the worst but he finally woke up eventually.
Thats cool. He took all the shots and opportunities available to him and he gave it his all. Hats off to the man. I hope hes living his best life today.
Great job young man. Love your work. Glad YT recommended your channel to me. As for Cody, looks like he turned out just fine. Like you said just like most of us out here who played ball while in school
I remember watching his highlight video back then. My little brother was just getting into to Jr Football. Cody Paul was a beast at a young age. This is cool seeing this video all these years later!!
I love your content man! Really informative and entertaining, and the positive mental health approach plus building up the subjects of the videos is what puts them on another level. Keep up the phenomenal work!!!
I played against his team in pop warner and what made him really good is he was ahead of his time skill wise as a 12 year old. He had a skill set of a college athlete playing in pop warner he could catch, pass, block, cut back, juke, and was fast and strong for his age but he top out and seemed like he reached his potential at a very early age
As SOON as that highlight tape popped up, I was transported back to 2007 on god. Despite the adversity later on, dude accomplished what so many people strived for during that time of innocence in our lives. Props to him for staying true to his grind
Great video. I, and so many others will never forget Cody Paul......I was hoping Georgia Tech and their, Paul Johnson, triple option would have offered him a scholarship......he would have fit in perfectly with that offense.
@Flemlo Raps Remastered -I would love to see a video of underdogs who made it in the league..guys people forgot about but were studs despite their size…Mark Mcmillian (5’7 CB), Bob Sanders (5’8 HOF Sfty) , Dave Meggett (5’7 Special Teams Specialist), Mike Alstott (260lb RB), Dat Nyguen (5’11, NFL First Vietnamese player) , Larry Allen (Sonoma State U) and Danny Woodhead (5’6 RB, Division 2)…there are so many great stories of guys fighting and clawing for that inch!
As a high school football coach the last 13 years, 170 lbs at 5’6 is pretty damn solid for a high school. But… I wouldn’t recruit him in a power 5. Like you said, a smaller D1 could have used him, but he just lacks the explosion a D1 guy has. Also, watching his High School highlights doesn’t look like the competition was great either. Lot of kids get thrown to the wolves at a young age and I’m happy to see how well he handled the entire situation. He seems to have his act together ( just based on the little research I’ve done). Thanks for the Video Flem, you always do a first class job.
Danny Woodhead was an absolute animal in college. As a Jets fan and also a small white rb in HS at the time, a small part of me died the day we cut him and he went to the patriots.
I remember my son being so bummed because one of his friends was very similar to Cody at age 12 when they were playing Little League baseball. His friend just completely outplayed his peers. His friend then had this identity as being the “next big thing”. But his friend stopped growing his senior year in High School ending at 5’7” / 160lbs, his pitching career was over. My son got an academic scholarship to a great college and his friend struggled while attending JuCo because it was hard escaping all that attention and accolades that sports provided. But now he’s doing okay, living a normal life and happy. That’s all that matters.
Played against him when I was senior and he was a Junior. His Oline were huge and remember studying his tape. He definitely ran like he was 5-10 and 200lbs like a cannonball on top of being able to change direction. Due to his size and strength people would actually miss a lot of tackles or get run thru. You’d never know but nice/humble guy tho (source: me who played LB and got their asses whooped 😂)
He is skilled and has talent, but people just couldn't see. But those who see it know, i believe he could be a Star. Who cares about his size or weight. Shout out Cody 💯
The problem is people hit their growth spurts at differing times. So, kids around 12-14 can mature faster or slower. The guy who's a beast at 12 can then never grow anymore after that & due to that not get any more height. I hate that the scouts/coaches rate height over can he play.
I was at nationals that year, we heard a rumor about him while we were down there and my team watched him play for maybe 15 mins before we had to go warm up for our game, he was very shifty but a lot like our team that year, the blocking didn’t stop till the whistle blew. Not taking anything away from him just saying his team had the same rule ours did, if the ball aint in your hands a defender better be
Sproles is the most famous of all the names you mention but the smaller back is the exception. Physical size in a league where "O" lineman are now 6'8" and 379 lbs is a detriment to guys like Cody. I'd told him to play in the Canadian Football League like Doug Flutie and Warren Moon and see what happens. He could easily have played D2 and people have played NFL and CFL ball from D2 schools. Cody is like many star Little Leaguers. They are stars in their younger years but get out grown as they age. It's the roll of the dice. You see it a lot in Little League baseball. A kid is great but ages into someone good but not a spectacular.
As a 5’6 small college TB weighed 180lbs my senior year with 330 squat and 27 reps of 225 it’s the injuries bro. Bigger dudes or special cats like Woodhead can take the wear and tear, most of us can’t.
Usually the kid's that start off fast slow down rapidly as they age. Thats why Im not interested in kids under 15 thats destroying the comp. When everybody get bigger, stronger, faster, they end up being normal. And usually dont ever see those talents exceed others ever agian.
That was phenominal researching! Shame he never got his chance at the big spotlight, but dude seemed to do pretty well for himself! Hope you hear good news about him soon!
Most young phenoms plateau at some point and don't get to the elite level. Depends on factors like early development that gives them an advantage over peers, but that development must continue. Late development can sometimes be better than early development, in some cases an average athlete will overtake and even exceed the early bloomers.
If I am a D1 school recruiter, I am looking at this kid and thinking he has instinct and quickness, but his speed and pad level for a player of that size are big negatives. Did great with the opportunities life gave him.
Okay couple things I'm confused about. One I subscribe to your channel a while back and for some reason it just now came up again and I subscribed obviously but man I thought you had like half a million subscribers or something you do a great podcast so and I remember watching many of your videos so confused a little bit. RLTW 3/75
Cody should have switched to a sport like soccer or baseball where size isn’t as limiting. So many great athletes play sports that they are good at where they could be great in another.
Too short for baseball. Soccer is extremely technical these days, so he would have needed to be in an environment where he’s working with the ball a lot and has good coaching. Also, his stout build may have been an issue…very few soccer players are 170 lbs at 5’6…at that height they are closer to 145. You have to play the full 90 minutes. No, football was always the best sport for him…not everyone has to go pro.
@@Michael-cb5nmToo short for baseball. Lol He is in the same range as Altuve. Soccer: You do realize that if he was playing that sport he wouldn’t have been weightlifting like they do in football. And, I didn’t suggest anything about professional. He could have played baseball and soccer in college at a MUCH higher level. Stop digging.
@@jamespohl-md2eq Average height of a MLB player is 6’1”. Look it up. Just because a few short players made it doesn’t mean that height isn’t a major factor. For soccer, I’m not saying he couldn’t do it but it’s not as straightforward as some think. He has a very heavy build which might be hard for him to get down under 150. Also, not sure why you are coming at me like that…my comment was reasonable and just my opinion.
@@Michael-cb5nmYou don’t seem to be able to read very well. I said a sport that isn’t as limiting. Size isn’t as limiting in baseball. And talking about average height is dumb. There are plenty of baseball players below six one. For example, Brewers 9. Cubs 8. Reds 10. Cards 6. So, 20-40%, approximately. lol Soccer: you clearly can’t read. Again. What part of my post talked about professional? It’s as if you can’t read. Stop digging.
@@Michael-cb5nmYou should stop talking about things you do t know about. A few baseball under six one. Lol. 20-40% of players on teams are under six one. Soccer: it’s like you can’t read. Do you think he trains the same way if he isn’t a football player? You think he becomes aLos Alamitos 1,200-Pound Club, an honor reserved for those who can bench press, dead lift, squat and clean that much weight, AS A HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR? What part of building his body to 170 don’t you understand? Professional: again. Can you read. I didn’t say professional. There are much better college levels than what he played in at for football. Oh. And being in the minors for baseball is professional. Tell me about the nfl minors. Tell me about the various soccer leagues like the MASL or MISL. Even if we are discussing going professional there are tons more opportunities. Tell me about the various professional baseball leagues throughout the world. Tell me their heights. European Association of Professional Baseball. Please. For the love of god, STOP DIGGING.
Listen. I hate that they weighed this kid down with so many expectations. At the end of the day, we weren't all meant to play college ball. You see, college recruiters are looking less at how well you do against High School level competition, and more at what they think they can build out of you for the college level. You can overcome being too small or too slow and be a GREAT High School player. I was. But at 165 lbs, 5'10" with a 4.9 40...no college cared how good I was on the High School level. That's just the way it is, and college recruiters usually know what they are doing. You play for love of the game. You play for your brothers on your team. You play so the game and the coaches can teach you to be a man, and impart lessons on you that you can use to succeed in life. If you happen to be big, or fast, or both...then you get to play a little longer, that's all. Instead, I joined the military and put myself through college that way. Not playing college ball is not a failure. That is all I am getting at. And this guy playing D2...hell, that is a major success! Now, yes there are exceptions to the rule. But I ppromise you that any player that made it to the NFL at THAT size has something extraordinary about them in another area. You do not overcome being 5'6" by being just above average in other areas of your game. But the exception to the rule aside, the vast majority of people that size are just too small to play on after High School.
