Both of Cody Muhlbauer’s grandfathers played small college football, one a running back, the other a quarterback. At family gatherings, the game is a frequent topic.
“It’s like, ‘Who’s the best Muhlbauer?’” said their grandson, a Normal West High School senior. “Just comparing records and stats is definitely something we talk about.”
Young Cody is making a case for himself.
A running back with sprinter’s speed, Muhlbauer has broken Normal West’s career records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns this season, leading the Class 6A No. 2-ranked Wildcats to a 7-0 record.
His 3,179 yards surpassed Darius Bell’s 2,808 from 2006-08 and his 38 touchdowns eclipsed the 34 by Josh LaCombe from 2003-05.
“Everything is attainable, everything is possible as long as you put the work in. But I never really thought I would get to that point or I never really paid attention to it,” Muhlbauer said. “Everybody was just kind of telling me ‘you’re going to break these,’ so I knew it was possible.”
Muhlbauer is on pace for a third straight 1,000-yard rushing season, totaling 1,079 as a sophomore and 1,221 last year. He even made a late-season impact as a freshman, elevated to the varsity in week nine and rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Two weeks later, he saw action in a second-round playoff loss to perennial power East St. Louis.
“As a freshman going against East St. Louis, that’s a tough task,” Normal West head coach Nathan Fincham said. “But he didn’t back down. That’s how we knew we had a special one.”
Muhlbauer earned his call-up with a strong work ethic and by performing “at a high level throughout the summer and into the beginning of his freshman year,” Fincham said.
When varsity depth at running back grew thin, Fincham tabbed Muhlbauer “our next best option.”
“Freshman year it was just, ‘I need to survive,’” Muhlbauer said. “But as the years go on it’s just progressive, trying to get better and be more consistent with my game. It’s been great overall, especially with the guys who have been blocking for me. It’s been really fun to play with them.”
Muhlbauer began playing with senior guard Travis Rhode when they were in youth football. Rhode is in his second year as a West starter, while senior tackle Jordan Stovall has been blocking for Muhlbauer for three years. Other starters up front are senior Jackson King at center, junior Cole Morrill at guard and junior Ethan McGowan at tackle.
Stovall said Muhlbauer “makes our job really easy.”
“You don’t have to do it [block] for too long. As long as you clear him a hole and move a guy around, he’s going to take off and he’s going to score and do it in lightning fashion,” Stovall said.
“I think his speed has been a constant since he was a freshman, but I’ve seen him get a bit more twitchy … he’s juking more guys out. His bag is getting deeper with his moves, his spin moves, stiff arms and things like that. That improvement technique wise has been outstanding to watch.”
Fincham has seen it too, saying Muhlbauer has complemented his speed by adding “some wiggle to his moves.”
Muhlbauer will tell you it starts with the offensive line.
“The connection I’ve been able to build with these guys is really awesome,” he said. “We’ve built huge trust with each other. We trust each other to do our jobs.”
A productive passing game led by quarterback Chase Sennett has helped keep defenses from targeting Muhlbauer, who also is a receiving threat out of the backfield.
Taking a handoff or catching a pass, Muhlbauer relies on speed enhanced by competing in track since sixth grade.
He was a 100-meter state champion in middle school and also ran on a winning relay. At West, he won the indoor Illinois Top Times 60-meter dash [6.88 seconds] and has qualified for the outdoor State Track Meet every year.
“Really it’s just developing your speed overall. That quickness out of the blocks has really helped my game … right when I get the ball, getting quick acceleration,” Muhlbauer said. “The reaction time with the gun going off and all the block practice I’ve done has definitely contributed to that a lot.”
Muhlbauer’s college plans are to major in either Ag Business or Agronomy. He hopes they also include football.
He attended Illinois State’s Spring Game in April and participated in numerous camps over the summer, saying he received “a lot of great feedback from coaches.”
“I would say that [playing in college] is always a goal, but if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out,” Muhlbauer said. “It’s whatever God wants.”
Fincham believes Muhlbauer has been overlooked.
“He’s the top back in this area, he’s one of the best backs in the state,” Fincham said. “I have a hard time looking at some colleges who have similar size guys who aren’t looking at him. That’s unfortunate.
“He’s a hard runner, he’s faster than most guys playing D-I football right now. He has the ability. It’s just a matter of teams doing their due diligence.”
For now, Muhlbauer is focused on one of the best seasons in West history. The Wildcats and Normal Community are tied atop the Big 12 Conference with 6-0 league records. West is home Friday against Peoria Richwoods [2-5] before playing at Normal Community on Oct. 16.
“I’ve always had high expectations for this group,” Muhlbauer said. “I knew we could do anything we wanted to do as long as we put the work in. Us doing this is just seeing our hard work paying off. I’m really proud of these guys.”
