When Calhoun quarterback Cody Worley signed a football scholarship Wednesday with Furman University, he committed to some startling family similarities.

Most people know that Calhoun head coach Hal Lamb is the brother of Furman mentor Bobby Lamb. What does come as a surprise, though, is that they both also serve “hands on” as quarterback coaches.

“I think that they have similar styles,” Worley said. “Both are great coaches and great men. I’m sure that it will be fun.”

Worley related that offers also came from Georgia Southern and Ball State.

Regarding his decision to sign with the Paladins, the 6-1, 215-pounder said, “It’s a great school with a great football tradition. I know the coaches. It’s close to home.”

Hal Lamb insisted that he applied no pressure to have Worley join his brother’s program.

“I don’t really try to push the kids,” he related. “I will give them my opinion. He made the decision on his own.”

Lamb expects Worley to be in the immediate quarterback mix.

“He’ll be the third quarterback on campus,” he said. “That doesn’t happen at a lot of places. They were really unsure about signing a quarterback, but he’s the one that they wanted.”

Ingle Martin, the starting quarterback from last year’s NCAA Division 1-AA semifinal team, is graduating. Renaldo Gray, a rising junior and red-shirt freshman Jordan Sorrells head into spring at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

“Cody is similar to the quarterback that they had this past year,” Lamb said. “He (Martin) did not run much. Similar to Cody, Sorrells is a very strong thrower. They likely will battle it out at No. 2. They might red-shirt Cody. That would be okay with him. He’s a team player.”

Furman employs the I formation. Calhoun uses the Wing T. “You can use one word to describe Cody,” Lamb said. “He’s a WINNER. He’s only lost four games in three years as a starter (36-4). He’s a high character kid. He’s committed to the game. He’s had a tremendously successful career at Calhoun High School. Without him, I don’t know how successful we would have been.”

Calhoun captured three consecutive Region 6-AA championships with Worley at the throttle to run the league title streak to five.

“You always want to make it to the next level,” Worley said. “I’ve had a good enough career here to do that.”

During those three starting years, Worley has displayed an outstanding ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions: 51 to 11. He has amassed 4,349 yards throwing while completing 51.4 percent of his tosses (240-of-467).

Regarding his skills, Lamb said, “No. 1, Cody has the strong arm. He’s a smart kid. You only need to tell him one time.”

From an academic standpoint, Worley carries a scholarly 92 average.

“It’s a top-notch university,” Lamb praised. “His scholarship is worth $35,000 a year.”

Worley is not finished with the prep athletic scene.

“I still plan to play soccer against this spring as a stopper,” he informed. “Soccer will keep me in shape.”

A member of the Key Club, Worley is a member of Trinity Baptist Church. His immediate family includes Donny and Sandra Worley, parents; and Cassie, a senior at University of Georgia.