by Bill Seals
One in a flurry of recent Power 5 offers for a St. Louis (Mo.) sophomore athlete is Iowa State, which had also hosted the emerging prospect on an unofficial visit earlier this year.
Trinity Catholic is a program Cyclone coaches and representatives from several other major conference programs have hit in recent years. The latest athlete Iowa State has extended an offer to is 2020 athlete Teriyon Cooper - a.k.a. "Mookie."
“I heard from them through my coach,” said Cooper, who cannot be contacted directly by college coaches until September 1, 2018. “He had been talking to them. At the end of a school day, he told me they had offered. He said Iowa State looks forward to discussing with me the positions and all the ways they want to use me. They want to get the ball in my hands any way they can.”
I-State and Cooper have some degree of familiarity with each other, since the 5-foot-10, 175-pound playmaker made his way to Ames in the spring.
“Me and a couple guys on my team took a visit up to Iowa State,” Cooper said. “I knew what was going on with Iowa State after having talked to the coaches. They have real nice facilities and were telling us how they were on the rise and getting better. This season they showed that. The coaches are just real nice people and treated us like we were family.”
Now that ISU has taken his recruitment to another level, Cooper said he’ll start evaluating them alongside his other P5 offers from Auburn, Illinois, Kansas State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas.
“Since they have offered me a scholarship, I’ll be watching how I can fit into their offense,” he said. “I plan on coming up on another visit, but don’t know when. It may be for a bowl practice or just coming up to visit the school again.”
Asked what led to his breakout in recruiting circles, Cooper offered this opinion.
“I think it all came down to me getting my first big offer, which was from Texas,” he said. “Other schools started calling about me. Coaches come through our school a lot and watch my film. They’ll offer me after watching my film. A lot of people are starting to call about me.”
The versatile skill player compares himself to a former prolific athlete in the Big 12.
“I’m fast and make quick moves and do well in space,” Cooper said. “That’s the main thing is doing what I can in space. I can make things happen. I think I’m a lot like (West Virginia’s) Tavon Austin was in college. I’m probably a little bigger and can play running back, too. I catch routes out of the backfield and do something with the ball in my hands.”
If and when Cooper does return to I-State on a visit, he says it could be with 2019 four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington.
One in a flurry of recent Power 5 offers for a St. Louis (Mo.) sophomore athlete is Iowa State, which had also hosted the emerging prospect on an unofficial visit earlier this year.
Trinity Catholic is a program Cyclone coaches and representatives from several other major conference programs have hit in recent years. The latest athlete Iowa State has extended an offer to is 2020 athlete Teriyon Cooper - a.k.a. "Mookie."
“I heard from them through my coach,” said Cooper, who cannot be contacted directly by college coaches until September 1, 2018. “He had been talking to them. At the end of a school day, he told me they had offered. He said Iowa State looks forward to discussing with me the positions and all the ways they want to use me. They want to get the ball in my hands any way they can.”
I-State and Cooper have some degree of familiarity with each other, since the 5-foot-10, 175-pound playmaker made his way to Ames in the spring.
“Me and a couple guys on my team took a visit up to Iowa State,” Cooper said. “I knew what was going on with Iowa State after having talked to the coaches. They have real nice facilities and were telling us how they were on the rise and getting better. This season they showed that. The coaches are just real nice people and treated us like we were family.”
Now that ISU has taken his recruitment to another level, Cooper said he’ll start evaluating them alongside his other P5 offers from Auburn, Illinois, Kansas State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas.
“Since they have offered me a scholarship, I’ll be watching how I can fit into their offense,” he said. “I plan on coming up on another visit, but don’t know when. It may be for a bowl practice or just coming up to visit the school again.”
Asked what led to his breakout in recruiting circles, Cooper offered this opinion.
“I think it all came down to me getting my first big offer, which was from Texas,” he said. “Other schools started calling about me. Coaches come through our school a lot and watch my film. They’ll offer me after watching my film. A lot of people are starting to call about me.”
The versatile skill player compares himself to a former prolific athlete in the Big 12.
“I’m fast and make quick moves and do well in space,” Cooper said. “That’s the main thing is doing what I can in space. I can make things happen. I think I’m a lot like (West Virginia’s) Tavon Austin was in college. I’m probably a little bigger and can play running back, too. I catch routes out of the backfield and do something with the ball in my hands.”
If and when Cooper does return to I-State on a visit, he says it could be with 2019 four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington.
