The latest on Keys
Bellevue’s Greg Keys was one of the top senior running backs in Ohio in 2004, but is still not sure where he will play in college. Keys verbally committed to Kent State in November. It was the only Division I offer that he had at the time. Since then, other schools have shown interest and Keys is listening.
Cincinnati recently offered him a scholarship, and Louisville could be next.
“Yeah, Cincinnati is on him pretty hard,” Bellevue coach Ed Nasonti said. “Louisville wants him for track in conjunction with football.”
Keys is an outstanding hurdler, but wasn’t considering running track in college until the Cardinals began showing interest.
“No one else has talked to him about running track except Louisville,” Nasonti said. “The other schools probably prefer if he didn’t run track – they like to get their players involved with spring ball.”
Louisville is one of the up-and-coming programs in the country and it definitely has Keys’ attention, no matter what strings are attached in terms of track.
“Greg wants to be a football player first, but if he can get to Louisville by running track and playing football, he would like that,” Nasonti said.
According to Nasonti, the track coach at Louisville and football coach Bobby Petrino are working together in the recruitment of Keys. One possibility is that Keys could accept a track scholarship, then join the football team as a preferred walk-on.
But Cincinnati and Kent State are also fine programs and they have already stepped up with offers.
It is a bit puzzling that the 6-2, 200-pound Keys doesn’t have more offers. He rushed for 1,961 yards and 19 touchdowns on 300 carries this year as Bellevue went 10-2 and made it to the regional semifinals of the state playoffs.
“We were disappointed too,” Nasonti said of the lack of offers. “He’s a good kid, a good student and a good football player. But some schools only have room for one tailback in their class.”
Keys transferred from Sandusky Perkins after his sophomore season. However, an incident that occurred while he was still there might be one of the reasons that a few college scouts have backed off.
Keys, along with several of his Perkins classmates, were accused of vandalism. Keys denied involvement and later passed a lie detector test.
However, a year later, the case still wasn’t resolved and was getting ready to go to trial.
“So, Greg pled guilty, even though he didn’t do it, just to get it over with,” Nasonti said. “It was a mess. He’s a good kid and just wanted to get it over with.”
Keys didn’t serve any jail time, but was put on probation.
In his junior season of 2003 – his first season at Bellevue – Keys didn’t even become a starter until midway through the year. Nasonti wanted him to earn the position and that’s exactly what he did.
He finished with over 1,000 rushing yards and established himself as one of the top prospects in his part of the state.
Then, last summer, Keys attended the Northwestern football camp and was clocked at 4.34 and 4.37 in the 40. Surely the offers would be rolling in soon, but it never happened.
But, this season, Keys forced colleges to take notice of him.
“Everything he did this year, we expected out of him,” Nasonti said. “He is that good. He had a great year and it did not surprise me at all.”
*I would LOVE to see Greg in a Buckeye uniform and know that Ohio State has been his first choice for a long time (childhood fav) but no offer has come so I'm hopeful that he lands at Louisville. I also was told by one of the Bellevue coaches that when he visits Miami of Ohio that they plan to offer also....
