He finished his collegiate career at Alabama, where he earned consensus All-American honors twice while anchoring one of college football's best defenses during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

[5] However, after Cody had his weight down to 385 lb (175 kg), a number of schools offered him scholarships, including Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Florida State.

[12] He was heavily recruited particularly by Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, who was in need of a true nose tackle for his 3–4 defense.

He and the rest of the defense also held the Tigers, which included running backs James Davis and C. J. Spiller, to zero net rushing yards.

In a memorable play on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the first half, Cody blasted past Luigs and left guard Wade Grayson to grab running back Michael Smith before he could reach the end zone.

[7] In Alabama's rout over Georgia at Sanford Stadium, Cody was instrumental in holding Doak Walker award candidate Knowshon Moreno to just 34 yards rushing.

[25] "Cody's statistics may not blow you away; [...b]ut he still can be the most dominant player on the field because of the double- and triple-teams opposing teams give him."

[1] Cody was subsequently given the team's Defensive Achievement Award for a newcomer who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of his unit.

[27] Prior to the 2009 season Cody dropped about 10 pounds and worked on his conditioning, hoping to keep himself in the game on third-down passing situations.

[16] A couple of weeks later, Mike Hiserman of the Los Angeles Times also called for Heisman consideration for Cody, describing him as "the best player on what might be college football's top defense.

On November 10, Cody was named one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, alongside Jerry Hughes, Gerald McCoy, and Ndamukong Suh.

No individual player reached the 100-yard rushing mark against the Crimson Tide in those two seasons; Anthony Dixon of Mississippi State came closest with 81 yards in 2009.

Wrote Michael Casagrande: "The power that comes with his size typically forces opposing lines to focus two players on blocking him, thus creating favorable rushing lanes for unblocked linebackers.

"[49] Prior to the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, Cody drew awestruck praise from Texas players and coaches.

[51] Along with Crimson Tide teammates Javier Arenas, Mike Johnson, Leigh Tiffin, and Colin Peek, Cody participated in the 2010 Senior Bowl on January 30, 2010.

[75][76][77][78][79] One of the teams interested in Cody was rumored to be his near-hometown Miami Dolphins, who lost their veteran defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to injury during the 2009 season.

[80] Some pro scouts, however, were concerned about Cody's weight and said he needed to reduce it to 340 pounds (154 kg) in order to be an effective NFL player.

[86] Cody worked out at API in Pensacola, Florida, along with Sam Bradford, Jason Worilds, and former Alabama teammates Mike Johnson and Roy Upchurch.

[87] He made pre-draft visits to the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs.

[91] He was the highest picked Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle since Cornelius Griffin was selected 42nd overall by the New York Giants in the 2000 NFL draft.

[94] Regarded by Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta as a first-round prospect "from an ability standpoint", Cody competed against Kelly Gregg for the starting defensive tackle spot in 2010.

[95] The combination of Cody and 345-pound defensive tackle Haloti Ngata gave Baltimore the AFC North's heaviest interior line,[96] reminiscent of the Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa tandem on the 2000–2001 Ravens teams.

[98] In training camp at McDaniel College, Cody—along with veteran cornerback Walt Harris—failed their conditioning test for the Ravens, and were thus placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

[101] His most impressive play came in the first half, when he tackled DeAngelo Williams single-armed for a loss while holding off Panthers center Ryan Kalil with the other.

With the acquiring of Ma'ake Kemoeatu in the off-season, Cody's playing time was limited after a rough preseason and the Ravens using a 3–4 type defense.

[106] Despite Kemoeatu being released following the Super Bowl victory, Haloti Ngata took over as the starting defensive tackle, again limiting Cody's playing time.

[107] [108] Key On February 2, 2015, Cody was indicted on animal cruelty and drug charges by a Baltimore County grand jury.

Prosecuting state attorney Adam Lippe alleged Taz suffered more than four weeks of starvation in a cage in Cody's garage.

[114] His girlfriend was acquitted of the aggravated animal cruelty, drug and alligator charges but found guilty of five counts in connection with neglecting Taz.

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said of Cody: "He's an enjoyable person to have on our team, have in the locker room, and (he) has great charisma.