Nowhere near his peak: CB Keyshawn Cunningham relishes All-American status

TIFFIN, Ohio – On Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Keyshawn Cunningham received the text message of his life.

It came from two of his Heidelberg coaches, head coach Scott Donaldson and defensive coordinator Branden Jakubcin. They let the Heidelberg senior cornerback know by congratulating him on earning Third Team All-American honors in Division III for the 2023 season by D3football.com.

Keyshawn Cunningham gets in his cornerback stance before the play happens in both night view and daytime view for Heidelberg.

Photo credits: Heidelberg Football

“The texts came like around 6:40 p.m., when it was announced right before the Division III national championship,” the 5-foot-10, 165-pound defensive standout said. “I felt great about it. Definitely grateful to be recognized this past season. I set my goals out during the spring and they all came to life this season.”

Cunningham, who also earned First Team All Region honors in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) by D3football.com this past season, posted the following statistics in 10 games:

•44 tackles

•6.5 tackles for loss

•2 sacks

•1 forced fumble

•2 fumble recoveries

•6 interceptions

•7 pass breakups

Cunningham’s best individual game was against Otterbein at home in Week 6 of the regular season – a 28-8 win by Heidelberg. His statistics were as follows:

•3 tackles

•0.5 tackle for 1-yard loss

•2 interceptions for 34 total yards; 1 pick-six

•2 pass breakups

Keyshawn Cunningham recorded his first collegiate pick-six in Heidelberg’s 28-8 home win over Otterbein on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 in Tiffin, Ohio.

Cunningham on his breakout performance against Otterbein:

“There were a lot of moments, but the best one was when I got my first pick-six,” Cunningham said. “My pops was there and I told him I was going to get him one. Second, I added the third defensive touchdown with my brothers Jo and Easton (senior defensive back Joseph Norris III and senior linebacker Easton St. Clair).”

Cunningham helped lead Heidelberg to a 6-4 final record in the OAC. He reflected on this past season as a whole.

“This season I had one main goal, and that was to get the ball back for the offense,” Cunningham said. “I feel like that led to me having an outstanding season at the cornerback position. Even though I had a great year, there are still things I need to work on to be that complete cornerback. I don’t want to get too complacent because there is still more work to be done.”

Keyshawn Cunningham on the field for Heidelberg.

Photo credit: Heidelberg Football

Keyshawn Cunningham on the field for Heidelberg.

Photo credit: Dstreacker2023

Cunningham on Heidelberg’s 6-4 season in 2023:

“Honestly, we didn’t really have a drop off,” Cunningham said of Heidelberg, which was 7-3 overall in 2022. “We lost a lot of experience on both sides of the ball and some key injuries during the season. That lead to some younger guys gaining some experience, and now we’re ready for revenge going into next season.”

Speaking of the upcoming 2024 fall season, this will be Cunningham’s final collegiate campaign. He wants to go out on top in more ways than one.

“You all can look forward to another dominant season,” Cunningham said. “But my expectations and ambitions are to win, and I know my brothers want to win as well.”

PLEASE NOTE: In 31 total games over four seasons, Cunningham has recorded 81 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss (39 yards), 2 sacks (19 yards), 8 interceptions, 23 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT KEY

First, Key (Keyshawn Cunningham) has a distinct style of leadership, which resonates quite well with both his teammates and coaches at Heidelberg. He opened up about how he gets it done so effectively.

Keyshawn Cunningham looks on during a Heidelberg game this past season.

“I’ll say I lead by example,” Key said. “I try to lead by doing the right things. I look up to some great leaders and they all lead by example. This year I was nominated Captain, and I was able to learn that my voice mattered. It translates well to the entire program because the energy and passion I play with motivates everyone on the team.”Second and most importantly, Key is the cousin of NFL Hall of Fame candidate, Super Bowl champion, Florida State alum, college football national champion, and Pahokee (Fla.) living legend Anquan Boldin. He spoke quite highly of his most prominent mentor – outside of his father and mother.“Anquan inspired me to become the cornerback I am today by showing and telling me how far hard work can take you,” Key said. “I look up to Anquan because he is one of my role models that God has placed in my life. His impact on my life has help me overcome so many battles I have faced without him even knowing. In addition to lending a hand when I need it, he also gave me gems and has always kept it real. I have gained a lot of knowledge from Anquan and it has brought me this far. The methods I picked up from working with him and the understanding of the game he taught me helped to mold his effect on my game.”Best wishes to Key on an amazing 2024 season at Heidelberg and whatever his endeavors are beyond this year.PHOTO CREDITS: Heidelberg Football and Dstreacker2023VIDEO CREDIT: OAC TV