Edgerrin

Cooper

Cooper (6’2/230) arrived in College Station as a four-star recruit during the tumultuous 2020 pandemic campaign and took a redshirt before assuming a more prominent role the following year. His redshirt freshman year started slowly with Cooper recording just six stops and seven missed tackles through the first five games. He flipped the switch down the stretch though, posting 22 stops and just two missed tackles in his last seven contests to garner SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. He slid into a starting role in 2022 and was productive enough to accrue 61 tackles, 8.0 RFL and five PBU for a decent 66th% PFF defensive grade. However, that was just a warm-up act for his terrific 2023 with Cooper accumulating 17.0 TFL, 56 stops (5th in P5) and 27 pressures (7th in P5) while earning First Team All-American accolades for his accomplishments. His 91st percentile PFF defensive grade was the highest mark of any linebacker in the nation, with Cooper emphatically staking his claim as the top linebacker in the SEC. The Covington, LA product dazzled Combine onlookers with a blazing 1.54s 10-yard split (95th%) and 4.51s 40-yard dash (97th%). Cooper’s 34” arms are unnaturally long for off-ball duty, but his 7.20s 3-Cone is a middling 58th% time and he chose not to bench. Cooper Led LBs in sacks thanks to advanced quickness and get-off off which helps to offset his height. Despite verified elite athleticism, he could use another 5-10 pounds to handle the rigors of the NFL game. Very crafty when diagnosing run concepts and works around blocks efficiently, but isn’t going to stun blockers with his power. Born hitter with sideline-to-sideline speed and range who wants to deliver a crushing blow every play. Cooper is one of the premier linebackers in the 2024 group and is well-equipped to be a key cog in the middle of an NFL defense.

Cooper (6'2/204) had been committed to Oklahoma from June into late November before reopening his recruitment. The Covington, Louisiana, native subsequently took an official visit to Texas A&M on Dec. 13. He signed with the program during the early December window but kept his college choice under wraps publicly before announcing at the All-American Bowl on Saturday.On the 247Sports composite board, Cooper lands as the No. 244 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Cooper (6'2/204) had been toying around with the idea of committing to an SEC program earlier this offseason -- he named Mississippi State his leader near the beginning of April -- but the Covington, Louisiana, native opted to take things a little further west with this Sooners pledge. With Cooper now in the fold, Oklahoma has crept up to No. 10 on the 247Sports composite 2020 team rankings. Cooper, himself, lands as the No. 25 prospect in the state of Louisiana for the 2020 cycle.

Cooper (6'2/204) is intrigued by the idea of playing in the SEC. The Bulldogs’ offer was his first from a Power 5 program and there’s a little affinity there for that reason beyond even the program itself. Memphis is also gunning for the Covington, Louisiana, native’s commitment, with LsU being another program to watch in this race. Rivals ranks Cooper as the No. 15 inside linebacker prospect in the 2020 class.