Tide's Cody laughs off Facebook joke

From the first day he stepped on campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody has been unique.

He’s not just the center of attention for opposing offenses. The 6-foot-5, 380-pound “Mount Cody” is one of the most recognized players on campus. Off the field, he keeps a smile on his face. He’s approachable. He is genuinely enjoying college life.

So when he “announced” he was going pro on his Facebook page last week, message boards lit up like Christmas trees and panic spread as quickly as the Grinch through Whoville.

Cody said it was all a joke.

“My girlfriend was on my account and she put that on there,” Cody said. “And everybody started freaking out about it. I was on the phone with her when she put it on … and two minutes after she put it on there, I got message after message after message with everybody freaking out and stuff. Then I told her to take it off and write I was just kidding and stuff. I didn’t think everybody would know about it.”

That’s unusual on two fronts. First, that Cody is so unassuming that he thought his joke would go unnoticed by all but a couple friends. The junior college transfer from Fort Myers, Fla., hasn’t played a lot of organized football. As a youth, he was deemed too big to play pee-wee ball.

Second, Cody has consistently said he is not going to the NFL next season. How many draft-eligible first-team All-Americans will return to school, let alone not inquire about their NFL draft status?

Two touted teammates, left tackle Andre Smith and running back Glen Coffee, have submitted paperwork to the NFL Draft Advisory Board for feedback. Cody said he has already informed head coach Nick Saban that he will be back.

“I mean, it was a big deal — am I coming back or am I leaving?” Cody said. “I talked to Coach Saban, talked to him at practice. I told him what I really wanted to do and he felt like it was good for me to do that. I told him I felt like I needed another year to get my full control, get my weight down, get my knee back to full health, get better, and get in better condition.”

Cody missed two games with a sprained knee. But the other issues were all question marks that hung over the defensive lineman since he committed to Alabama last winter. His first-team All-American designation answers many of the questions regarding his progress.

His teammates answer the rest. When asked about the difference in this year’s defense, safety Rashad Johnson listed two reasons — Cody and comfort.

“The biggest thing on defense would have to be Terrence up front, and just it being our second year in the program,” Johnson said. “Last year, we couldn’t do a lot of things that coach wanted to do because we were still trying to learn the system.”

Linebacker Cory Reamer said Cody’s presence made his job easier.

“He keeps two linemen from climbing up (to hit the linebackers),” Reamer said.

Reamer said Cody’s decision is great for Alabama next year.

“I think that he sat down and really concentrated on his decision, really though it out,” Reamer said. “He thought he could use an extra year and get healthy 100 percent. I think it’s going to benefit him next year. He’s going to get another year of great coaching and be able to go out into the draft healthy.”

When he does leave school, there will be a market for him in the NFL. Cody is not just big. He moves the pocket. There will be comparisons to Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth.

The American Football Coaches Association, the National Football Writers of America, the Sporting News and the Associated Press all put Cody as a first team All-American. Not bad for a guy who was at a junior college last year.

He paused for several seconds when asked if somebody had told him about this season a year ago.

“Speechless,” he finally replied. “I wouldn’t have said nothing. I would’ve smiled and stuff, probably that’s it.”

He’s good at smiling, too.

Someone asked if he had to change his password after his girlfriend’s joke. He laughed and shook his head no.

Another reporter asked if he changed his girlfriend.

He laughed even louder.

“Nah … it was just a joke.”