Back in college, Case Keenum was lights out. He’s still the all-time Division I leader in passing yards (19,217), completions (1,546) and touchdowns (155), and no one else is really close. In his senior season, he threw nine touchdowns against Rice, winning 73-34.
But he’s also just 6-foot-1. He suffered an ACL tear five games into his senior year. The NCAA’s leading passer wasn’t even drafted.
“That was as tough a time as I’ve ever gone through,” Keenum told the Pioneer Press. “You just realize that football is fickle; it’s not going to be there all the time. Just getting my priorities straight and knowing the true reason I play the game, and that’s to give glory to God. That’s something I take pride in. It’s why I do what I do.
“That’s why I became a Christian—being around Christian athletes through [the Fellowship of Christian Athletes]. I’m not playing for the name on the back of my jersey, I’m playing to glorify God. He’s given me talents, and I’m trying to maximize those talents however I can.”
The Houston Texans signed Keenum in 2012 and slapped him on the practice squad. The following year, he got a chance to start—and lost seven games in a row, all by one possession. In his eighth game, he injured his thumb (and the Texans lost again). In his third year, he became a well-traveled journeyman, moving to the Rams, then back to the Texans, then back to the Rams again, where he served as a backup to … Nick Foles.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In