Key'vantanie "Keke" Coutee (born January 14, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Texas Tech and has played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

Keke Coutee
refer to caption
Coutee with the Colts in 2022
No. 81 – DC Defenders
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1997-01-14) January 14, 1997 (age 27)
Lufkin, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school:Lufkin (TX)
College:Texas Tech (2015–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / Round: 4 / Pick: 103
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:85
Receiving yards:966
Receiving touchdowns:4
Rushing yards:14
Rushing touchdowns:1
Return yards:297
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years edit

Coutee attended Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas.[1] As a senior at Lufkin, he caught 56 passes for 841 yards. Coutee originally committed in June 2013 to play college football for the Texas Longhorns, but he de-committed in January 2014.[2] He then committed to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in January 2015.[3] He committed to Texas Tech over Oklahoma, Texas, Louisville, Houston, and Tulsa.

College career edit

As a true freshman at Texas Tech, Coutee played in all 13 games, making two starts, catching 11 passes for 105 yards.[4]

Coutee broke out as a sophomore in 2016. He played in all 12 of Texas Tech's games, catching 55 passes for 890 yards and seven touchdowns,[5] making him Texas Tech's second-leading receiver.[6]

Coutee's breakout as a Red Raider continued as a junior in 2017. In 13 games, he caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus a 92-yard kick return against Baylor. Coutee's 1,429 receiving yards ranks second in school history for a single season behind Michael Crabtree's 1,962 in 2007.[7][8] After the season, Coutee declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.[9]

College statistics edit

Year Team Receiving Rushing Returns
Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds TD Lng
2015 Texas Tech 11 105 9.5 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 Texas Tech 55 890 16.2 80 7 3 2 0.7 6 1 7 81 0 24
2017 Texas Tech 93 1,429 15.1 77 10 5 15 3.0 11 0 8 253 1 92
Career 159 2,424 15.2 80 17 7 15 2.1 11 1 14 350 1 92

Source:[10]

Professional career edit

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+34 in
(1.77 m)
181 lb
(82 kg)
29+78 in
(0.76 m)
8+38 in
(0.21 m)
4.43 s 1.57 s 2.61 s 4.15 s 6.93 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)
9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)
14 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Houston Texans edit

Coutee was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round with the 103rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.[13] The team signed Coutee on May 11 to a four-year contract.[14]

 
Coutee in 2018

Coutee missed the first three games of the 2018 season with a hamstring injury.[15] Coutee made his NFL debut in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the game with 11 receptions for 109 yards. Coutee's 11 receptions are the most receptions in a debut since the AFL–NFL merger.[16] On Sunday Night Football, in a 19–16 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, Coutee caught his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard pass from Deshaun Watson. He finished the game with six receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.[17]

In Week 13 of the 2020 season against the Colts, Coutee recorded eight catches for 141 yards during the 26–20 loss. In Week 15 of the 2020 season against the Colts, Coutee had 5 receptions for 53 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also fumbled on the goal line in the closing seconds of the game, which allowed the Colts to take over and kneel out the clock.[18]

On August 31, 2021, Coutee was waived by the Texans.[19]

Indianapolis Colts edit

On September 2, 2021, Coutee signed with the Colts practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022.[21]

On August 30, 2022, Coutee was released by the Colts and signed to the practice squad the next day.[22][23] He was signed to the active roster on October 15, 2022.[24] He was released on December 13, 2022, and later re-signed to the practice squad.[25] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 8, 2023.

New Orleans Saints edit

On June 15, 2023, Coutee signed with the New Orleans Saints.[26] The Saints released him on August 11.[27]

Miami Dolphins edit

On August 13, 2023, Coutee signed with the Miami Dolphins.[28] He was released on August 28, 2023.[29]

DC Defenders edit

On February 25, 2024, Coutee signed with the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL).[30]

NFL career statistics edit

Regular season edit

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2018 HOU 6 2 28 287 10.3 40 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 0
2019 HOU 9 4 22 254 11.5 51 0 2 14 7.0 10 1 1 1
2020 HOU 5 2 17 203 11.9 64 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
2021 IND 2 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 IND 8 0 1 20 20.0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 33 10 85 966 11.4 64 3 5 14 2.8 10 1 3 3

Postseason edit

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2018 HOU 1 1 11 110 10.0 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 1 1 11 110 10.0 20 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

References edit

  1. ^ Adams, Andy. "Keke Coutee". The Lufkin News. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Brooks, Gabe. "LUFKIN JUNIOR STANDOUT KEKE COUTEE DECOMMITS FROM TEXAS". East Texas Sports Network. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. ^ Brooks, Gabe. "Keke Coutee Commits to Texas Tech". Scout.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Keke Coutee College Stats". Texas Tech Athletics. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  5. ^ "Keke Coutee 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "2016 Texas Tech Red Raiders Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Keke Coutee 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Cantu, Michael (November 11, 2017). "Tech up 21–7 at halftime". KCBD. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  9. ^ Mirchandani, Akshay. "Texas Tech WR Keke Coutee declares for NFL Draft". SportsDay. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  10. ^ "Keke Coutee Stats – Texas Tech". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Keke Coutee Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "2018 Draft Scout Keke Coutee, Texas Tech NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Wilson, Aaron (April 28, 2018). "Texans take Texas Tech WR Keke Coutee in 4th round". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  14. ^ Wilson, Aaron (May 11, 2018). "Texans sign-fourth round WR Keke Coutee". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  15. ^ Sidhu, Deepl (September 27, 2018). "Is Keke Coutee close to returning?". Houston Texans. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  16. ^ Dougherty, Drew (September 30, 2018). "Keke Coutee makes history in NFL debut". Houston Texans. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  17. ^ Sidhu, Deepi (October 7, 2018). "Keke Coutee scores first TD on Sunday Night Football". Houston Texans. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – December 6th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (8-31-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. August 31, 2021.
  20. ^ "Colts Sign Wide Receiver Keke Coutee To Practice Squad". Colts.com. September 2, 2021.
  21. ^ "Colts Sign 14 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". Colts.com. January 10, 2022.
  22. ^ "Colts Announce Final 2022 Roster Cuts". Colts.com. August 30, 2022.
  23. ^ "Colts Sign 13 Players To Practice Squad". Colts.com. August 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "Colts Sign WR Keke Coutee To 53-Man Roster, Waive T Luke Tenuta, Elevate RBs Phillip Lindsay, D'Vonte Price To Active Roster From Practice Squad". Colts.com. October 15, 2022.
  25. ^ "Colts Sign TE Nikola Kalinic to the 53-man Roster From The Practice Squad, Waive WR Keke Coutee, Sign WR Robert Foster To The Practice Squad". Colts.com. December 13, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  26. ^ "Saints' Keke Coutee: Gets opportunity in New Orleans". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  27. ^ New Orleans Saints (August 11, 2023). "New Orleans Saints sign LB Jaylon Smith and terminate contract of WR Keke Coutee". NewOrleansSaints.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  28. ^ Miami Dolphins (August 13, 2023). "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  29. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 28, 2023.
  30. ^ "UFL Player Transactions, Sunday February 25, 2024". UFLBoard.com. February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.

External links edit