A person can change a lot in five years.
Yet you’ve probably never seen anyone change as dramatically as Cody Mauch.
The North Dakota State Bison left tackle went viral Friday night after ESPN2 shared a graphic showing how much Mauch had changed since arriving as a freshman in 2017.
The side-by-side comparison is breathtaking, even surreal.
College changes you. https://t.co/O3DULrpsGE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 10, 2022
2017 Mauch: Short hair, weighs 221 pounds, plays tight end.
2022 Mauch: Hair like a rock star, missing at least two teeth, heavy beard, now weighs 303 pounds and plays offensive tackle.
Oh, one other startling transformation: Mauch evolved from a lightly regarded player to one of the top offensive linemen in the country. He earned second-team All-American honors from the Associated Press for the FCS national champion Bison in 2021. This season, he’s on the watchlist for the 2022 Walter Payton Award, given to the outstanding FCS player each season. NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has him ranked as the No. 6 offensive tackle on the board.
Mauch’s transformation, shown during NDSU’s FCS quarterfinal game against the Samford Bulldogs, stunned college football Twitter. Fans wondered — what the heck happened?
“1 inch taller, 82 pounds heavier, and a few teeth lighter. Not bad,” noted one fan.
“Nice to see he finally lost his baby teeth,” someone joked.
Nice to see he finally lost his baby teeth.
— The Captain (@thecaptain1919) December 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/NuttySportsDude/status/1601393280331448320
1 inch taller, 82 pounds heavier, and a few teeth lighter. Not bad.
— WG (@NvictusManeo) December 10, 2022
Went from looking like Landry from Friday night lights . To hacksaw Jim Duggan
— justin wood (@justiwood) December 10, 2022
That man hasn't shaved or had a hair cut in 5 years. Well done sir.
— Chris (@c_f_89) December 10, 2022
Hes an inch taller
— Joey〽️ (@LionTakes) December 10, 2022
Finally, here’s what Mauch looks like with his helmet on — a future NFL offensive line fixture for someone.
North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch has just been MOVING people in the run game tonight against Samford. The Bisons have relied on running behind the @seniorbowl bound OT to pull away in the second half.
One of the top OTs in the 2023 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/CfrUPPhRw6
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) December 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/NGLP124/status/1601376836348710912
