QB Ty Keyes-Can He Take Southern Miss to the Top?
By: Tony Thomas Shortly after head coach Will Hall accepted the job with the Golden Eagles, he signed one of the highest-rated, most talented recruits ever to pledge to Southern Miss in QB Ty Keyes of Taylorsville.
Keyes was rated a 4-star recruit and Top 300 player by ESPN and the #7 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
QB Ty Keyes
A 3-time Mr. Football in Mississippi (2018, 2019, 2020) and the 2019 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, Keyes started to light it up as soon as he stepped foot on the football field his freshman year. Statistically, his very first year at Taylorsville was his best.
Freshman Year-2017
Keyes threw for 4562 yards, 45 passing TDs, against only 8 interceptions. He also added 543 rushing yards and 8 scored on the ground, leading Taylorsville to a State Championship. His stats:
- 7- 300+ yard passing games.
- 1 game of over 400 yards passing.
- 7 games with 3 passing TDs
- 3 games with 4 passing TDs.
- 1 game with 5 passing TDs.
- 5 total TDs vs Raleigh
- 4 total TDs vs Seminary
- 4 total TDs vs Lumberton
- 5 total TDs vs Bogue Chitto
- 4 total TDs vs Perry Central
- 5 total TDs vs Collins
Sophomore Year-2018
Won the first of three Mississippi Mr. Football awards. Keyes threw for 3736 yards 39 TDs and 7 INTs. He also rushed for 335 yards and 4 TDs.
- 2- 300+ yard passing games.
- 1 game over 400 yards passing.
- Threw for 3 touchdowns five times.
- Had two games with 4 passing TDs.
- 1 game with 5 passing TDs.
Junior Year-2019
Keyes threw for 3721 yards, 41 TDs, 7 INTs. He also added 422 rushing yards and 4 TDs, while winning his second Mr. Football award and winning their second State Championship.
- 4 games of over 300 yards passing.
- Four games with 4 passing TDs.
- Two games with 5 passing TDs.
- Four games with 3 passing TDs.
Senior Year-2020
Keyes finished his final high school season with 2546 yards passing, 30 TDs, and 3 INTs as a senior. He also rushed for 560 yards and six touchdowns.
- 2 games with over 300 yards passing.
- 6 games with three passing touchdowns.
- 2 games with 4 passing touchdowns.
He took home his third Mr. Football award and led Taylorsville to a 55-3 record during his four years as a starter.
For his high school career, Keyes passed for 14,565 yards and 155 touchdowns, with only 25 INTs. He also added 1860 career rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.
Keyes first committed to Tulane. But when Hall was hired to lead the Southern Miss football program, Keyes de-committed from the Green Wave and signed with Hall and the Golden Eagles.
The Ty Keyes to Victory for the Golden Eagles in 2021?
Can Keyes win the starting job in fall camp? That remains to be seen. But the talent and the athleticism can’t be denied. The quarterback battle in August should be fun to watch.
To say that the kind of athleticism that Keyes possesses could come in handy would be a gross understatement, especially when you consider that the Golden Eagles’ best year over the last decade in the passing department was #12 in the FBS in 2015 when they averaged 329 yards per game. They also ranked 12th in total offense that year, averaging 509 yards per game. Over the last four years, Southern Miss hasn’t ranked higher than 43rd nationally in total offense.
So obviously there is a ton of room for improvement in all areas, offensive scheme, coaching, player development, and recruiting. Signing Keyes is a good start for Hall right out of the gate.
Once fall camp starts, maybe Keyes can be the catalyst that takes Southern Miss to the Top in 2021.
Thanks for reading thegridironnews.com.
Material for this article sourced from cfbstats.com, maxpreps.com.
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Tony, according to your comment on May 5, Keyes didn’t win the starting job in fall camp (not faulting you on that); however, he did manage to start 4 games. What do you think of his performance?
Hello Kensley, thank you for your comment. I think Ty did extremely well against Troy and Alabama, both with his arm and his legs. His injury is unfortunate and USM is snakebit in that department. My alma mater has a lot of issues to address. I hope that regardless of the team’s performance this season (1-9), Ty will keep his head up and not get discouraged, that he will heal up properly and work hard to separate himself as the starter in 2022 spring practice and fall camp. His potential and athleticism are off the charts. Thanks again for your comment and thanks for reading the Gridiron News.
He redshirts this year while the WVU transfer dominates other teams for USM. Ty then carries on said domination for three years before leaving early for the NFL Draft.
Thanks, Boss for reading and visiting my site. But I think Keyes wins the job in fall camp. If I’m wrong I’ll eat crow.
He and Frank Gore in the same backfield should give Southern Miss enough offensive power to frighten C-USA. Now we need a few 3 and 4 star D-linemen to help keep them on the field.
Thank you, Marvin I appreciate your comments. Thanks for reading and visiting my site.
Awesome story about an awesome athlete!
Thank you, Kensley for your comment. I appreciate it very much. Thanks again for reading and visiting my site.