NSR scout Keith Ferguson comes up big in small towns

Keith Ferguson, who scouts for National Scouting Report near Lexington, Ky., knows he is lucky to have a deep appreciation for high school prospects who grow up in rural areas. In fact, scouting in small, rural towns is right in Ferguson’s wheelhouse.

Ferguson is a native of Kyle, South Dakota, a prairie town of 846 residents which sits in the southwest corner of the state alongside the Nebraska border. The area is expansive and somewhat isolated. If you crave the metropolitan life, keep driving. But growing up, Ferguson was entirely comfortable with the setting.  Little did he know that this would eventually come into play for him upon joining NSR.

The small college town (pop. 5,700) of Chadron, Neb., is about two hours south of Kyle by way of the Big Foot Trail. The Ferguson family settled down there and Keith grew up a sports nut. University of Nebraska football was his first love, of course.  After high school, where Keith played football, he matriculated at Chadron State College, an NCAA Division II school, where he graduated in 2007.

After earning a degree in Comprehensive Recreation with a Coaching minor, Ferguson headed back to South Dakota finding a position which allowed him to teach and coach on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation at, strangely enough, a private Catholic school, Red Cloud Indian School.  He was hired as the school’s head football coach.  His first team went 7-2 and won the first conference championship in school history. His next squad went 6-3 and also made the playoffs.  Several of his players earned college football scholarships. After moving to another school for three years, Ferguson decided to move his family near his mother’s home in Kentucky.

Shortly after settling in Kentucky, Ferguson was intrigued by an online ad on Indeed.com which was targeting the Lexington area for NSR scouts.  He applied and soon found himself sitting in the National Scouting Report home office outside Birmingham, Ala., for training.

Since then, Ferguson has impressed NSR with his enthusiasm and energy which led him to hit the ground running.  He loves to find prospects who are little-known.

“Keith’s attitude and energy were exactly what we needed (in that area),” said Larry Perrin, NSR’s director  of football scouting. “Since he started, Keith has continued to keep a fantastic attitude and work with a phenomenal energy both in scouting and working for his athletes.  He has found his passion and we are very proud to have him on our team.”

Asked what he enjoys most about scouting for NSR, Ferguson didn’t hesitate.

“What I like most is finding those diamonds in the rough, the kids from out of the way locations that have big-time potential,” he said.

“Scouting, at first, was a whirlwind of excitement, and honestly I tried casting too wide of a net over football, soccer, fall baseball and softball.  The last few months, however, I’ve decided to reel it in and really focus on football.  It’s my passion and my main area of knowledge.  I feel comfortable talking the game with anyone from high school coaches, athletes, families and college coaches,” said Ferguson, who will continue to keep an eye out for quality prospects in other sports as well.

That focus has paid off in a big way, literally.  He recently enrolled Sam Turner, a 6-foot-9, 315-pound sophomore lineman from Chavies, Ky., which is in the mountains near Hazard, two hours from Ferguson’s home.  The Turner signing has turned heads around the college coaching community.  Turner already has received attention from a number of Ivy League and Patriot League programs.

“I want high character kids first and foremost that are selfless, team-first athletes,” Ferguson said. “It’s great explaining to families and athletes the importance of academics and having the potential to help an athlete refocus if needed.  So for me, it’s high character, team-first athletes who obviously have the skill set to be successful at next level.”