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SCOUT NOTEBOOK

2011 Preseason Scout's Take: Generally considered to be a late-round pick headed into in 2010, Kennum’s NFL dreams were put on hold following his knee injury once he was granted a sixth year of NCAA eligibility. While extremely productive at Houston, the Abilene, Texas native is a system quarterback who’s undersized, lacks a big arm and plays predominantly out of the shotgun. But yet, he’s very accurate and has the instincts to keep his eyes pointed downfield while under heavy duress. If nothing else, Kennum is extremely poised in the pocket and very competitive. He has the feet to buy time in the pocket and put nice touch on his throws in times when he’s off balanced. However, that hubris that allows him to author big plays also leads him to make boneheaded decisions. The plucky signal caller tends to make ill-advised throws into double and triple coverage off his back foot. His skill set doesn’t translate to him being a big-time player at the next level, particularly in a pro-style system. Kennum just doesn’t throw the ball down the field enough for anyone to say that he’ll be a quality starter with any confidence. He may be able to get by if he can find a coach that builds a specific type of offense around what he does best, but the NFL isn’t a place where shotgun, spread attacks can prosper on a full-time basis. Pro defenders are much faster and skilled to allow receivers to get the same type of separation they are afforded in college. Also, that style of play limits the running game, making things too predictable for the guys on the other side of the ball. There are a select few quarterbacks that could pull it off, but it's doubtful that Keenum has the special skills or decision making prowess to be one of those players.

2011 Preseason Draft Insider: Davis is yet another Conference USA signal caller to keep in eye on in 2011. He began his career in the ACC at Boston College and was a contributor for the Eagles as a red-shirt freshman (he started the 2008 ACC Championship Game against Virginia Tech and threw for 263 yards). Last season for the Pirates, Davis threw for 3,967 yards and 37 touchdowns while he completed 64 percent of his passes and rushed for nine touchdowns (141 yards). - Draft Insider: Top 10 Senior Quarterbacks

2010 Skinny: The Heisman hopeful will certainly bring some buzz back to Houston, as Keenum heads what is considered to be the most prolific offense in college football. He is one of two players in big-college history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in each of two seasons but will need to shed the label of “system quarterback.”

2009 Skinny: The way he handled the coaching transition with Kevin Sumlin stepping in for Art Briles was remarkable. The Texas native immediately absorbed the new system and was masterful at directing the offense with his ability to run out of the trouble while always keeping his eyes focused downfield. He’s a cerebral quarterback who plays with confidence and has a firm grasp of the offense. In short, he’s a leader and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll get better. Yes, he’s a bit undersized and has an average arm, but he has far too many attributes to totally dismiss him at the next level.

LATEST NEWS

05/17/11 - Case Keenum had a monster 2009 -- 5,671 yards, 44 TDs, 70.3 completion percentage -- and entered 2010 as a Heisman contender. But he blew out his knee in Game 3 and missed the rest of the season. He's healthy now and should graduate with NCAA career records in passing yards, completions and TD passes. He enters the season as the active career leader with 13,586 yards, 1,118 completions and 107 TDs; the records are 17,072, 1,388 and 134, respectively. Source: Rivals.com

10/11/10 - Houston QB Case Keenum, one of the most prolific passers in college football, reportedly has decided to appeal to the NCAA for a 6th year of eligibility after suffering a season-ending torn ACL last month. Keenum already redshirted his freshman year, so it will be up to the NCAA to decide whether he will get the extra year of eligibility, although the NCAA usually only grants an extra year if a player misses more than one year because of injury. Keenum tore his ACL in a game earlier in the year while trying to make a tackle after an interception.

09/20/10 - Head coach Kevin Sumlin said Sunday night that Case Keenum (torn anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee) will miss the rest of the season. Keenum, a fifth-year senior from Abilene who is fifth on the NCAA career passing yardage list (13,586), blew out his knee trying to tackle UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers after a second-quarter interception One option for UH ­- one that can't pay any dividends this season - is for Keenum to appeal for a sixth year of eligibility. According to the waiver criteria laid out in 14.2.1.5.1 of the NCAA Division I Manual, an appeal could be a long-shot winner. A waiver of the five-year period of eligibility is designed to provide a student-athlete with the opportunity to participate in four seasons of intercollegiate competition within a five-year period. This waiver may be granted, based upon objective evidence, for reasons that are beyond the control of the student-athlete or the institution that deprive the student-athlete of the opportunity to participate for more than one season in his/her sport within the five-year period. The NCAA considers taking a red-shirt year, which Keenum did in 2006, to be an instance that is within an athlete's control. – Houston Chronicle

09/15/10 - Since Case Keenum went down with an apparent concussion in a 54-24 victory against UTEP on Friday, head coach Kevin Sumlin has been grimly noncommittal about how the Cougars will proceed. Sumlin on Tuesday took the same stance as he did on Sunday: Keenum, the Cougars' all-time leader in passing yardage, is "day-to-day." – Houston Chronicle

01/12/10 - Houston quarterback Case Keenum has decided to pass on the NFL Draft and instead return to Houston, where he'll look to obliterate more passing records.

01/01/10 - Houston junior QB Case Keenum didn’t say it directly but left little following the Cougars’ disappointing bowl loss to the Air Force in which he was picked off 6 times that he’ll be back for his senior season next fall. Said Keenum in a post-game presser "I'm going to learn from this… I'm a winner and a competitor. That's how it's going to be. We're going to take this into the offseason, and we're going to use it as motivation. Look for the Cougars to do something special next year, because the there's a lot of guys in this locker room who have a lot of determination."

12/29/09 - Houston QB Case Keenum, a junior from Abilene, has requested the NFL’s College Advisory Committee to evaluate where he would fit into the 2010 draft. He has until Jan. 15 to decide if he’ll apply for the draft or return for his senior season. “I’m not thinking past this game,” Keenum said. “That’s what’s on all of our minds. We’re here to have fun, but it’s a business trip.” After a two-hour practice Monday, Keenum had little interest in contemplating life after UH. When Keenum was at Abilene Wylie, UH was the only Division I school that offered him a scholarship. One redshirt year and 39 games later, Keenum is ninth in NCAA history in total offense (13,493 yards) and passing yardage (12,728). Keenum is exploring his NFL options with the blessing of the father figure of the UH household, coach Kevin Sumlin. The first major decision of Sumlin’s UH tenure was to break up a two-quarterback system and make Keenum the starter over Blake Joseph. The rest is history, as in Keenum becoming the second Division I quarterback to produce multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons. In two seasons under Sumlin, Keenum threw 87 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions. — Houston Chronicle

12/10/09 - Keenum is exploring the possibility of foregoing his senior season with the Houston Cougars to enter next April’s NFL draft, according to the Houston Chronicle. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin said Thursday night that he is about to send in paperwork requesting that the NFL do an evaluation to determine what Keenum’s status likely would be. Davey O’Brien Award presenter Troy Aikman offered this assessment: “If you look at quarterbacks who have gone on to have success, by and large they’re the ones who decided to stay in an extra year,” “That year of maturity and growth goes a long way.” – Houston Chronicle

11/05/09 - Keenum’s statistics have been so impressive this season that he deserves a spot in the top two despite his perceived disadvantage of playing for a one-loss Conference USA team. Currently Keenum leads the country in completions per game (35.6), passing yards per game (411.63), total offense per game (420.9), points responsible for per game (21.5), touchdown passes (25) and total passing yards (3293).