​Former Eagles quarterback looks for fresh start after transferring to ETSU

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley grad Cole Keller had a tumultuous start to his college football career.

After redshirting his first season at Washburn University in 2021, he played eight games in 2022 before he tore his patellar tendon in his right knee, which caused him to have surgery in February 2023. He attempted to return for Washburn’s fall camp, and he tore the same ligament in August.

He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in that knee in in, which occurred a few months after another surgery. Keller was then able to start lifting weights about a month before the season started on Aug. 29.

He didn’t get a lot of playing time, Keller said, and while he was originally supposed to play tight end for the Ichabods, he was moved to slot receiver because he was coming off an injury and didn’t have enough time to build enough strength to block linemen. During the 2024 season, he caught 15 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown.

“I was fine with my knee, but I only lifted for a month before the start of the season,” Keller said. “I came off a year and eight months of rehab essentially. I didn’t squat, deadlift nothing. I just felt weak. Not being able to prepare and be a football player is tough.”

Following the season, Keller entered the transfer portal and originally committed to the University of Central Oklahoma in early December before switching his commitment and signing to play for Division I FCS East Tennessee State University on Dec. 29.

Now, the former Eagle will get a chance to start his college career after an injury-plagued tenure at Washburn.
Keller was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Grain Valley and totaled 2,700 all-purpose yards and scoring 36 touchdowns during his senior season. He was a four-sport athlete with the Eagles, excelling at basketball, track and field and baseball, too.

He then committed to Washburn University, and after four years there, Keller said it was time to move on.
“I got enough on film,” Keller said. “I was scared when going into the transfer portal as you know, it’s a pretty tough landscape at the moment. Some coaches were interested. I had a few colleges that wanted me.

“I couldn’t lift weights but not enough to play the tight end position (before his sophomore season at Washburn). They started me at receiver. I didn’t play very much for a lot of reasons.”

Keller originally committed to the NCAA Division II University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos because he was guaranteed a starting spot at tight end by the coaches. A couple weeks afterward, ETSU had to talk Keller into take a visit of the campus at Johnson City, Tenn. He eventually accepted and liked what he saw.

At the time, the Buccaneers didn’t have any tight ends on scholarship. Keller was looking for a team in which he would get guaranteed playing time but would also have other tight ends challenge him for snaps. After he committed to ETSU, the team signed three other tight ends, but Keller said he expects to play at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps for the Buccs.

“That was one thing I talked to them about was I let them know I already has a spot somewhere else and playing time was important to me. I was saying, ‘Don’t waste my time if you’re not going to play me.’ They were very adamant that I was going to see the field a lot and that I was going to be one of their guys.”

“At Central Oklahoma, the big thing with them, I was going to be their guy. They didn’t have anybody else. They had one other dude, but I was the starter without having to step on the field. But I don’t think that’s necessarily healthy. I want competition. I want people there to push me.”

His decision was aided by the atmosphere on campus at ETSU and Johnson City itself.

“I went there and liked it a lot,” Keller said. “Johnson City is a mountain city of about 80,000 to 100,000 and everyone there supports the football program. They average 8,000 to 10,000 fans per home game.”

Keller, who currently weighs 230 pounds, said his goal is to put on 15 pounds of muscle before the start of his junior season, so he will be big and strong enough to block defensive ends.

“This the first season I have had that I’ve been 100 percent healthy, and I have been able to do intense workout with zero pain,” Keller said. “I feel like I am going to make a big jump this season.

“I need to put on that extra 15 pounds and be able to block in the box every single play. Route running and catching the ball will come naturally to me.”

Keller, who will be working under offensive coordinator Cam Aiken and head coach Will Healy, anticipates that he will be utilized in one- and two-tight end sets in the offense. The Buccaneers run a fast-paced offense, which Keller said he will be a good fit for.

“I think if I put on the right amount of weight and do everything that I think I can, I think I can do anything for the team. Since they run a high-tempo offense, and they don’t stop a whole lot, I think I can step in there and be (an all-around tight end).

“They really liked what I had to offer. So hopefully I can get in there work hard and do what they ask of me.”
Playing Division I football is not the end goal for Keller. Part of the reason he went to ETSU was so the coaching staff with the program would develop him into a professional-level football player by the end of his career. Keller’s dream is to play in the National Football League.

“The goal is to get to the next level,” Keller said. “I have been injured for such a long time; I am taking it one day at a time. Making a pro league would be sick. Playing at ETSU is the first step in achieving that.

​“That was one of the first things I talked about with the coaches. I need to be developed. I told them, ‘You guys need to have same goals for me that I have for myself.’ They have no doubts I can get to the next level as long as I put the work in.”