Shaun Cody

Shaun Michael Cody (born January 22, 1983) is a former

Early years

Cody was born in

One of the most-sought after recruits of his class, Cody was particularly heavily recruited by the USC Trojans and their newly hired coaches Pete Carroll and Ed Orgeron. Cody was Carroll's first blue-chip recruit, which attracted other talented players and eventually led to USC's dominance in the early 2000s.^[1]

College career

Cody attended the University of Southern California, and played for coach Pete Carroll's USC Trojans football team from 2001 to 2004. He was a backup defensive lineman for USC's first four games of 2001, and started the last eight at tackle, and posted 39 tackles, including seven for losses (with five sacks), and one fumble recovery. He was a first-team Freshman All-America selection. As a sophomore in 2002, Cody started for his second season at defensive while starting the first six games, and compiled 20 tackles, including one for a loss, a deflection, fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal.

Cody started all thirteen games as a junior defensive tackle in 2003, and had 26 tackles, including 10.5 for losses (with six sacks), plus a forced fumble, a deflection and three blocked field goals. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and received third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. He was recognized as a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 2004, after he compiled a career-high 45 tackles (29 solo), 10 sacks, 13 stops for losses, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three pass deflections. He was also a team captain and voted Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

2005 NFL Draft

Projected as a late first-round selection by