Keith attended McAlester High School in McAlester, Oklahoma, where tallied over 70 pancake blocks earned first-team all-state honors from the Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World as a senior in 2002.
[1] He committed to the University of Oklahoma, but did not qualify academically, and eventually headed for junior college.
After redshirting his first year at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Keith received first-team all-Southwest League honors and second-team NJCAA All-American in 2004.
In 2007, Keith started 11 games at right tackle, helping to guide the Panthers to a perfect 11–0 regular season and a No.
Despite impressive showings at Northern Iowa's Pro Day, where he ran a sub-5.0 40-yard dash at 345 pounds, Keith was not regarded as one of the top offensive tackles in the draft, due to his unpolished footwork and lack of consistency.