In Taylorsville, Mississippi, a town with fewer than 1,000 people, options are limited. For many kids, it’s either work or sports. For Thazai “TK” Keyes, the oldest of his mother’s five children and the seventh of his father’s ten, sports became the escape.
Keyes didn’t strap on pads until age 12, playing just a season of peewee before moving into junior high. Early on, he thought basketball might be his game, but football had other plans.
By his first-year season of high school, undersized and unsure, Keyes walked away from the sport. It might have ended there if not for a friend.
“Cobey Craft encouraged me to come back,” Keyes said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”
When he returned, something clicked. By 10th grade, he was in the weight room, pushing himself with extra drills, still small at 5’8” and 160 pounds, but determined. That season, he managed around 40 tackles at linebacker and on special teams. The summer before his junior year came the turning point.
“I prayed for growth,” he recalls. “And it happened.”
Keyes shot up in size, speed and strength. The results showed immediately: more than 1,600 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns that year. He also managed to earn a three-star rating and a spot among Mississippi’s top 50 players. For a kid from Taylorsville, the exposure was life-changing.
Then came heartbreak, when a torn ACL in his right knee wiped out his senior season. Ironically, on the same day he got the devastating news, Southern Miss offered him a scholarship.
“It hurt, but I trusted God,” he said.
While recovering, Keyes kept showing up for his teammates, encouraging them from the sidelines.
Upon arriving at Southern Miss, Keyes came looking to make an immediate change to a mediocre program, but his aspirations were almost impossible. Seniority and coaching resulted in Keyes dropping on the depth chart and receiving little to no reps in games and in practice. This led to Keyes redshirting and playing in two games before a coaching change left him at a crossroads: stay buried on the depth chart or bet on himself at the junior college level. He chose to transfer to Jones College.
In the spring of 2025, Keyes earned the starting wide receiver spot. Through just 5 games of the 2025 season, Keyes leads the NJCAA with 582 receiving yards and 116.4 yards per game. His best game is currently against Holmes, where he erupted for 9 receptions, 239 yards and a touchdown. He now holds seven Division I offers, with more expected.
“TK is a grinder,” said Quarterbacks Coach Dominique Sullivan. “He’s always seeking ways to get better: stays after practice, getting extra catches and working on the little things. He means a lot to this team. Coming from USM, a lot of the guys look up to him because he’s been where most of these guys want to go. That’s the D1 level. He stays self-disciplined, and he is always developing for greatness on and off the field. He is truly a man of great character.”
From a late start in football to injury, setbacks, and tough choices, TK Keyes has never let circumstances dictate his future. For him, faith and perseverance have been the constants.
“No matter what the storm looks like,” he said, “never give up or give in.”
Cutline: Wide receiver T.K. Keyes takes the ball down the field during the Homecoming game against Holmes on Sept. 27. The Bobcats won 38-28. In the game, Keyes had nine receptions for 239 yards.
Nathan Gavin
