Boyd played for legendary coaches Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier while at South Carolina. He finished ranked 10th all time in Gamecocks rushing with 2,267 total yards and 9th all time in yards receiving with 1,283 total yards. Boyd finished with 28 touchdowns in his 4 seasons with the Gamecocks. He played in the 2007 East-West Shrine Game.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Boyd was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He injured his knee during a rookie mini-camp and was placed on injured reserve for the 2008 season. Boyd was released by Tampa Bay on October 17, 2008.
Boyd was signed to the practice squad of the Denver Broncos on November 4, 2008 after running back P. J. Pope was promoted to the active roster. Boyd was promoted to the active roster on December 9 when fullbackPeyton Hillis was placed on injured reserve. The Broncos waived Boyd six days later and re-signed him to the practice squad. He was then put back onto the active roster for Week 17 of the 2008 season following the season ending injuries to Selvin Young and P.J. Pope. The Broncos waived Boyd on March 31, 2009.
Boyd signed as a free agent with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on March 12, 2010 and was extended with Toronto on March 21, 2011. In his first year in the CFL, he rushed for 1,359 yards and had 363 yards receiving in spite of missing several games due to injuries. Boyd received several post-season honors including being named the CFL's toughest player, the Argonauts' most outstanding player and was also nominated to the CFL East All-Star Team. For 2011, Boyd rushed for 1,141 yards and had 118 yards receiving having missed multiple games due to injuries. Once again, Boyd was named a RB for the CFL East All-Star Team. Boyd was released by the Toronto Argonauts on August 12, 2012. At the time of his release, Boyd led the CFL in rushing.
Hours after his release from Toronto, Boyd joined the Edmonton Eskimos. On October 11, 2012, Cory Boyd was released by the Eskimos. Boyd saw limited playing time as the Eskimos backfield became very crowded with Hugh Charles and Jerome Messam. He was re-signed on October 21 after an injury to Hugh Charles.
