Cody Paul shot to internet fame as a 12-year-old football starlet when a highlights video of him skillfully dodging opponents appeared on YouTube. The video was made for his out-of-state relatives to see, but it ended up becoming the internet’s first viral sports video.
Nearly everyone watching the footage opined that Cody Paul would become an NFL player – the kid wearing No.5 bamboozled rival players with his speed, agility, and innate ability to find seemingly nonexistent gaps. However, Cody Paul never made it to the big time.
Cody retired from football and is a coach and an educator
Cody Paul’s Twitter bio reveals that he retired from football. He describes himself as a husband, educator, and coach. Paul’s Twitter header is a photo of himself alongside two kids, who we presume are his children.
Paul is married to Kayla Morgan, whom he met at Chadron State in Nebraska. Cody proposed to Kayla – a cheerleader and the school’s homecoming queen – after the final home game of Chadron State’s 2016 season.
Kayla works as a service coordinator for Equus Workforce Solutions in Western Nebraska. Her side hustle, which she hopes will eventually become her primary hustle, is photography. Kayla writes on her photography website that she started taking pictures of her pets for fun before taking the job seriously. She adds:
“My philosophy behind the camera is to make people feel COMFORTABLE, CONFIDENT, and PROUD to be in their own skin. I want you to feel great about your session and capture the true you all while having a fun time doing so! I would describe my editing [as] ‘earthy’.”
Paul, who abandoned the limelight, provides some insight into his life through his Twitter feed. In August 2021, Paul declared his love for winter: “I’m ready for snow, apple cider, and Harry Potter on repeat.”
Paul also revealed that he enjoyed spending time with his family, tweeting: “All I wanna do is play spikeball at a park with my wife vs. my kids and laugh as they whine about their parents never letting them win.”
Paul performed admirably as a football player at Chadron State but didn’t get the call-up to the NFL
The first sign that Paul’s NFL dreams wouldn’t come to fruition came at the end of his high school season. Paul was his league’s offensive player of the year, having run for nearly 1,300 yards during his senior season, but he didn’t receive offers from top college football programs.
Paul, standing at 5’5”, was just too short. “Not much I can do about that,” He told ESPN. Despite receiving no interest from premier collegiate football programs, Paul’s love for the sport never waned. Paul joined Chadron State, where he continually demonstrated his footballing talent and skill.
In his senior year, Paul was the team’s second-leading rusher. Furthermore, he was the star kick returner – he returned 24 kickoffs for 561 yards and led the team with 21 punt returns. His efforts earned him a spot on the All-Conference first-team as a punt returner.
Unfortunately, Paul’s efforts failed to attract an NFL offer, but he left Chadron State with perhaps something better: his future wife, Kayla Morgan. Thanks to Kayla, Cody has a family that he cherishes.
Paul told ESPN that he was never weighed down by the expectations set by his internet fame. Paul didn’t make play among the elites, but he enjoyed a football career that many would struggle to match.
Judging by his Twitter feed, Cody still enjoys the game – he is a massive supporter of his alma mater, Chadron State.
