Former blue-chip QB Riley Keller giving college golf a try

Riley Keller was destined for football greatness.

As a freshman, he completed 95 of 190 passes for 1,892 yards and 21 touchdowns with nine interceptions, leading Whitmer to an 8-3 record and a playoff berth.

It was a remarkable debut for a 14-year-old quarterback in fertile recruiting territory, enough that Mississippi offered Keller before his sophomore season. Additional power conference offers came from West Virginia and Iowa State.

Keller was named first-team All-Ohio in 2017. At his height, he was the third-ranked QB in Ohio. But an elbow injury during his junior year derailed what felt like an inevitable competitive recruiting shootout.

Keller eventually enrolled at Bowling Green, where he did not see game action in two seasons with the Falcons. Part of the issue at BGSU was an undiagnosed elbow injury that resulted in a snapped flexor tendon after Keller transferred to Tiffin, ending a once-promising football career.

With eligibility remaining, the lifelong athlete didn’t want to sit idly on the couch. So he called Tiffin’s golf coach. That’s how the former blue-chip QB became a Division II college golfer.

“I came to terms with [not playing football] once I figured out that I’m going to finish my college career playing golf,” Keller said. “Some people might see golf as there’s a lot of pressure. But I look at as relaxing. It’s the first time I’ve ever played a sport where it’s all on yourself. You can’t look at your receiver and be like, ‘Oh, that’s your fault.’ There’s nothing you can do. I see it as relaxing because it’s just me and myself out there.”

Golf wasn’t even on Keller’s radar casually until he was a senior in high school. That was the first time he played, and he was lucky to break 100 and would shank shots. But Keller knew Tiffin golf coach Cameron McCloskey, who was eager to bring a former high-achieving team sport athlete on the team. (In July, McCloskey was named an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota.)

“When I came on the team, he was like, ‘I want you to be a leader, whether it’s in the weight room or just getting guys together outside of practices,’” Keller said. “When we’re out here on the course, we’re all competing against each other for certain spots. But we’re also on the same team, so we’ve got to treat each other with respect and push each other as much as we can.”

BG football coach Scot Loeffler isn’t surprised that Keller would be tasked with a leadership role. He began recruiting the former QB during Keller’s freshman year at Whitmer while he was the offensive coordinator at Boston College. When Loeffler took the top job at BG, Keller became a priority.

“Riley is a great competitor, a great person from a great family,” Loeffler said. “We thought he was going to be a really great quarterback, and unfortunately, he had arm trouble. … He is such a good teammate and now he is moving into the golf world, and he will do a great job with that endeavor. It will be fun to watch him compete at the highest level.”

While golf has team and individual elements, Keller said the camaraderie aspect, a significant role in football locker rooms, appeals to him.

The lowest round he has ever shot is 77. Last month, he fired a front-nine 35 at Giant Oak before faltering, coming home in 44. Keller can carry his driver just shy of 300 yards. Chipping around the greens is his biggest weakness. Since he only played sporadically, Keller has never had a golf coach or lessons.

A job at Mohawk Country Club provides him access to PGA professional Stewart O’Malley, who checks out Keller’s swing and mechanics.

“I would say he’s a natural athlete,” O’Malley said. “Good hand-eye coordination. It’s just a matter of getting some basic fundamentals down and building from there. If you’re an athlete, you’re an athlete. If you’re not, you’re not.

“Transitioning from any one sport to another, the timing, the tempo, the hand-eye coordination, the physical abilities, he has that skill set. So that’s why the transition I don’t think has been very difficult.”

The next transition for Keller will be in the real world. He’s due to graduate with a degree in sports management after the fall semester. Then it’s off to being a sports agent, where his athletic careers could intertwine once again — he’s interested in representing NFL and PGA Tour players.

“I’ve had my mind set on that for maybe the last three years,” said Keller, who plans to keep golfing no matter where his professional career takes him.

“I’m never going to give it up,” he said. “It’s helped me cope with a lot.”