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Zone Read: Mikey Keene Unplugged 2.0

Eric Sorenson
Arizona Sports News online

Quite a bit has changed since the last time “Zone Read” caught up with former Chandler High star quarterback, Mikey Keene.

In this wild modern day era of college of football, many details can look much different in 18 months.

However, for Keene, his college program may have changed from the east coast to the west, but the big picture focus hasn’t.  

We recently sat down with the Fresno State sophomore (soon-to-be junior) starter for an in-depth chat about life on, and off, the field.

How crazy is it to think it’s already been almost a year to the day that you committed to Fresno State? “Yes! I believe I committed to them either the 17th or 18th of last December. I remember it was the day after their bowl game against Washington State. They played in the LA Bowl and then I played for them in a bowl game a year later. Pretty crazy stuff.”

On the field and off, has Fresno been everything you’d expected it to be so far? “Yes, it has. I feel like it’s developed me into a better person, as well as a better football player. It’s definitely tapped into my potential of football IQ. I’ve learned a lot about the game since being there, and I’ve learned a lot about myself.

It’s a great place. The people make Fresno what it is and that’s what I knew it was going to be coming in and that’s exactly what it has been. It’s been everything I’ve wanted and some more. I have two years left and I’m excited to be in Fresno.”

I heard you on a podcast talk about how you committed to Fresno State sight unseen, much like you did to Central Florida when the pandemic shut everything down. Are you the only Division I football player to commit to two schools, without visiting either one? “Yeah, I might be (laughing). That’s pretty crazy to think about. I talk to my parents about that, too. I eventually did get to visit Fresno, just after I committed. But, still, it is kind of crazy committing to two places that I wasn’t able to visit but, I guess, having that experience at UCF, and committing after that. That was a lot different just coming out of high school. I had a much different perspective on college football than I did as a transfer. I knew what I wanted in a college. I knew the ins and outs and what I enjoyed about my college experience and what really wasn’t as important to me in my college experience.”

I know a big part of why you chose Fresno was to play for, and learn under, Jeff Tedford, who’s mentored so many elite college quarterbacks. Obviously, we’re all hoping and praying his health improves. Has that relationship lived up to the expectations you had when you transferred in? “He’s been a phenomenal coach and he has a great support staff that are all locked in on the same ideals as him with Bulldog football that has a lot of tradition that comes with it. They do an excellent job preparing us on a week-to-week basis and have an excellent plan for the off-season. It’s a very highly motivated and work ethic-driven team. It all starts with him.

He played football at Fresno State. He played quarterback there, too. So, he’s been around the Valley [Fresno] a long, long time. He’s a legend at Cal, but he’s been a legend at Fresno State, too…our thoughts and prayers are with him, and that’s the most important thing is just getting him back healthy.”

I know your high school coach, Coach Garretson, and Coach Tedford, have known each other for a long time. Are their coaching styles and mannerisms somewhat similar because the are such good friends? “Yeah, they have some similarities. I’d say they bring a mixture of old school and new school style of coaching together. They’re players’ coaches, for sure. It’s not awkward to have a conversation with them.

They understand life outside of football and they appreciate that, as well from their athletes, and their staff. Very driven guys. Seen a lot of football. Been around a number of different situations. Very educated in that sense.”

Does Tedford have that little sarcastic, yet funny, sass that Coach G. can come with sometimes? “He definitely has his humor. He’ll say some funny stuff just like Coach G. will. Coach G. definitely has a little different sass, for sure. I know what you’re talking about with that (laughing). Coach Tedford brings his own energy and juice.”

New Mexico Bowl last weekend. You threw for a career-high 380 yards with four total touchdowns. I believe you completed your first 15 attempts. Did it look like, to you, New Mexico State’s defense was moving in slow motion? It seemed nearly everything your staff dialed up worked to perfection. “I felt like that. In all honesty, we just got back to executing at a high level for our offense.

That was the important thing for us to get out of that bowl game. That’s exactly what we did. Got back to the basics. We wanted to be in that bowl game. We wanted to win that bowl game. That’s usually how it shakes out in bowl games. The team that wants it more usually gets it done and we did that.”

How wild was it that on the same day you played in your bowl game, your former UCF teammate, and fellow Arizona prep quarterback, Parker Navarro, was starting for Ohio in his game. Were you able to catch any of it before heading to the stadium?  “I got to watch a little of it before we left as I was winding down in my room before pregame meal. That was awesome to see.

He was a great friend of mine at UCF. Our quarterback room was super close there. Obviously, having that connection to Arizona was a comfort level for me when I got to UCF. We bonded really well so I was happy to see all his hard work pay off. That’s one of the hardest working guys I know. That’s another example of the transfer portal of a guy just looking for a chance to play and have his hard work pay off. He’s a phenomenal quarterback, too. So, I’m proud of him and I’m going to hit him up and meet up with him while we’re back home.”

Was 2023 sort of a redemption year for you after you decided to leave UCF after two seasons and enter the portal? “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, I’m always going to have a chip on my shoulder. I’m also going to always keep things in perspective. Obviously, my situation at UCF didn’t pan out as it was supposed to but it was a mutual parting. I understand that it was best for them, as well as myself. But I loved my time at UCF and don’t regret it at all but I believe everything happens for a reason.

Just being able to showcase my talents a little bit better this year, and have a successful year getting nine wins. We wanted to win [a Mountain West] championship but didn’t get that done. So that’s where you get the motivation for the off-season. To be able to keep stacking and better yourself every single day. You always have to have that edge and separate yourself from other competitors.”

Are you still a little upset about the lazy river situation, or lack there of, at UCF (laughing). I’m aware of it but I’ll let you explain it. “So, basically, I was recruited by a completely different staff that’s at UCF now, and the prior staff that had recruited me, they were informing me that there was going to be a lazy river that was going to be installed at UCF. When I got there, there wasn’t any construction being done and they told me they’d been using that recruiting pitch for the last four or five years. It was one of those things that kind of got me because I wasn’t able to visit and see for myself. They had me going as a freshman. Obviously now, I don’t really care about that stuff. Back then, I was just a freshman getting caught up in the bells and whistles of all that stuff. That’s a funny story that got blown out of proportion for sure.”

Is Fresno State just a better fit for you, both on the field and off it? “Yes, for sure. That was the main reason that I got in the portal and I got back to being more specific about what I wanted from a college experience. Obviously, I want to get my degree, but at the same time, I’m there playing football. That’s kind of my livelihood so I wanted to be happy at that aspect. I wanted to put myself in a position to showcase what I feel is my skill set. I felt that that system fit me well.

That was really the deciding factor and then Coach Tedford was a huge one. Just the tradition of quarterback play that has happened at Fresno State. They’ve always produced quarterbacks. They have a tradition in that sense.”

I’ve gotten to know you pretty well over the years and one thing I greatly respect about you is you treat everyone equal. Doesn’t matter if a star player, walk-ons, equipment staff, team videographers, whoever. Does that selflessness and equality bring even greater respect from your teammates when they see how genuine you are? I know that’s just the type of person you are. “I think, in all honesty, it does. I am conscious about how I treat people on a daily basis and treat everyone the same. In all honestly, [football] is just what we do, it’s not who we are. I don’t want to be looked at as just a football player. I have my own life. I want to be known as a father. I want to be known as a husband. I want to be known as a good son. So, I don’t want to be known exclusively as just a football player. It’s what I do and what I love, but it doesn’t mean I have to treat people differently because they don’t do it or they’re in a different position than me…just try to treat everyone the same every single day. I hope that it’s appreciated. I think it takes a little time to be appreciated.”

I know you’ve talked about this game before so I’m not going to dig too far into it. With that being said, before playing ASU in Tempe did you get that “different” sort of pre-game energy before taking the field back in September? “I got offered by Fresno I think the first day I was in the portal. That was what, December 5th of last year? The first thing I did was check their schedule. So, I had that game circled since December 5th of the previous year.

Obviously, a lot of emotions go into that but playing quarterback, you have to keep your cool. But, obviously it was an emotional game. I’m not a robot. It was personal to me. Coming back home to a school that didn’t recruit me, that would have been cool to be recruited by that may have shaken some things up in my recruitment coming out of high school. That game was circled for a really long time and there are some games that you just refuse to lose. I kind of felt it that night…that was definitely a personal [game]. I won’t lie about that.”

What did you learn the most about this new era of college football, for better or worse, being in the portal a year ago? “It’s a lot of new stuff, learning on the fly. People are getting educated on it and the world of NIL and how it’s shaped, molded, and changed college football. But in all honesty, I think people were too hard on the portal and criticized it too much because these kids are just trying to get the best opportunities for themselves. Maybe some kids’ intentions are different but for the most part, kids are just trying to get an opportunity to play. Maybe some kids were in it for the money. I don’t know. That wasn’t a reason I was in the portal. I just wanted to be happy in my college experience and utilize my talents.”

I know you have some down time over the holidays back in the southeast Valley. What are your plans before heading back to Fresno? “I’m going to relax a little bit. I got my body banged up a little bit at the end of the year. I’m really just going to hang with my family and enjoy the holidays. That’s really it. Just getting back in shape in the off season.”

 

 

 

  

 

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A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.

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