April 10, 2012
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When Tampa’s Armwood High School opened the second half of its 2010 homecoming game against East Bay with a touchdown that grew its lead to 42-6, junior Kevin McCoy did not simply spike the ball.
“I really threw that ball hard,” McCoy said.
Football had helped the shy McCoy come out of his shell, so when an assistant coach challenged him at halftime to “spike the ball [or subject the team to] 100 up-downs before practice,” McCoy reluctantly obliged. The moment almost passed him by, however.
Senior quarterback Josh Grady had scored the Hawks’ touchdown but forgotten to give the ball to McCoy, the squad’s starting right tackle. As an official moved the ball for a point-after attempt, Grady grabbed it back and handed it to the 6’5″ McCoy, who emphatically cast it down.
“Everyone was kind of confused,” McCoy said. “Even the ref didn’t know what had happened. And then after five seconds of everyone standing there, all you see is a bunch of yellow flags raining from the sky. It was crazy.”
It also was out of character for the offensive lineman, who signed a National Letter of Intent last month to play football at Vanderbilt, where he will be reunited with Grady. McCoy is one of 21 three- and four-star recruits (according to ESPN.com) to choose Vanderbilt this February, and is part of an impressive six-member group of offensive linemen.
“Not just six guys, but six quality guys we’re really excited about,” Offensive Line Coach Herb Hand said. “We think they’ve all got great futures. They all bring different attributes, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re all long.”
Especially McCoy, who has only played organized football since his freshman year of high school but started for two years at one of the nation’s top programs (Armwood went 29-1 the last two years, winning Florida’s 6A championship in 2011).
“He’s got really long arms, so even though he’s only 6’5″, he can be a multi-position player for us and play both tackle and guard because of how long his arms are,” Hand said. “He’s got the biggest hands I’ve ever seen. We measure guys’ hands from the tip of their pinky to the tip of their thumb, and I want to say, in the NFL, the average length is about 9.5 inches–McCoy’s hands are 11 inches across. He’s got some measurables that we really liked.”
According to the once and future teammate who helped convince him to sign with Vanderbilt, McCoy also rates off the charts when it comes to some aspects that cannot be measured by combine-style drills.
“He’s just one of the most humble people I’ve ever met,” Grady said. “I think that’s why he has such great potential. He’s only been playing football for like two or three years, but just the fact that he’s been able to stay humble despite all of the success of winning state championships and getting several college offers, that really speaks to his personality.”
