Arguable the greatest football player in Kentucky Wesleyan history can now add another award to his list of accomplishments. Keelan Cole, the lightning quick receiver that played at Wesleyan from 2012-16, is a part of the inaugural Great Midwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame class. Cole is one of just three honoree, with Ursuline’s Janelle Perry Harris (Track & Field) and Laney Lewis (Basketball) making up the other two honorees.
Cole, who hails from Louisville, Ky., was a two-time Don Hansen First-Team All America honoree, was named a D2Football.com and AP First-Team All American in 2016, and an AP Third-Team All American in 2015. He was also a Super Region 4 First-Team honoree in 2015 and 2016, and was named to the second-team in 2014.
Cole still holds the G-MAC record for all-purpose yards in a single season with 2,181, and is second in a single game with 347, which he recorded in KWC’s 2016 contest at Davidson. He also set the record for receiving yards/game with 127.4 in 2016. Cole was also a national standout, as he was the NCAA statistical champion for total receiving yards (1,577).
As expected, Cole holds nearly all the receiving records at Wesleyan. He is the all-time leader in receptions (258), receiving yards (4,852), and touchdown receptions (59). Cole could do it all, as he is also the record holder in career all-purpose yards (6,514), and kickoff return touchdowns (4). In addition to his accomplishments on the gridiron, Cole was a standout track athlete, as he still ranks in the KWC top ten in multiple sprinting categories. He was named the G-MAC Track & Field Athlete of the Year for his efforts in 2014.
Following his time at Kentucky Wesleyan, Cole signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. Throughout his NFL career he has played for the Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders, and has amassed career stats of 197 receptions, 2,832 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. Cole currently plays for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he just re-signed two weeks ago.
