Jacksonville State University Athletics

JSU CAREER:
Fall 2020/Spring 2021: Started in all four fall games in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury against Florida International... Named to the Phil Steele FCS All-American Second Team as well as the preseason All-OVC team in his third year at quarterback with the Gamecocks... through the air, he went 54-for-81 with 671 yards and a touchdown in four games... his lone touchdown pass came against North Alabama on October 17 to tie Ed Lett's 61-touchdown school-record as he would go on to  throw for 244 yards that day, his highest of the season...on the ground he carried the ball 31 times for 83 yards and five scores, including two each against Mercer and North Alabama. 

2019: Started all 12 games in his second year as Jax State’s signal caller... momentum for the transfer quarterback certainly followed from his first season with JSU into the preseason as he was named a 2019 preseason Third-Team All-American by HERO Sports, voted preseason OVC Player of the Year by the media and conference, as well as the Walter Payton Award Watch List...Also named OVC Offensive Player of the week three times during the season, including back-to-back weeks following home victories over Chattanooga and Eastern Washington...named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, and finished the season named to the Second-Team All-OVC Offense...lead the conference in multiple passing categories including passing touchdowns (28), passing yards (3,404), and passing yards per game (283)…finished first in points responsible for per game (17) and total offense (310.3) in the OVC...passed the ball 439 times while completing 260 throws for 3,404 yards and 28 touchdowns...his longest pass of the year came on Sept. 21 against North Alabama for 67 yards and a touchdown...also had 136 rushes for 320 yards and six touchdowns, with a long of 19 yards coming against Eastern Washington.

2018: Started in all 13 in his first season with the Gamecocks following a transfer from Clemson...Immediately made an impact at JSU by becoming a HERO Sports Sophomore All-American, named to the First-Team All-OVC Offense, and set numerous quarterback records all in his first year as a Gamecock...Also named a Third-Team Preseason All-American by HERO Sports for 2019... Ranks first in passing yards per game (262.8) and total offense per game (290.9) in career all-time rankings... In the single-season rankings for the Gamecocks, Cooper ranks first in pass completions (251), passing yards (3416), passing touchdowns (32), passing yards per game (262.8), touchdowns responsible for (38), and total offense per game (290.9) … Also ranks second in pass attempts (417) as well as total offensive yards (3782) for a single season... Threw the ball 417 times completing 251 passes for 3416 yards and 32 touchdowns... His longest pass came on Sept. 8 against Mississippi Valley State for a 75-yard touchdown... Also recorded 109 rushes for 366 yards and 6 touchdowns with a long of 33 yards coming against East Tennessee State.

2017: Served as backup quarterback in his first active season as a redshirt freshman with the Clemson Tigers…was 25-41 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in 104 snaps over 10 games…completed 61.0 percent of his passes and had a 129.5 pass efficiency rating…had 18 yards on 10 carries…was 4-6 passing for 37 yards and a touchdown along with an 11-yard carry against Kent State on Sept. 2…was 10-14 passing for 88 yards at Syracuse on Oct. 13…was 7-11 passing for 105 yards and a touchdown against no interceptions along with eight yards on two carries against The Citadel on Nov. 18.

2016: Sat out the season as a redshirt.

HIGH SCHOOL: Rated among the top 300 overall players in the nation by ESPN, 247 sports, Rivals and Scout…listed as fourth best overall prospect in Georgia by ESPN…ninth-best quarterback prospect in the nation by ESPN…seventh-best quarterback in the nation by 247 Sports…played quarterback and safety at Jonesboro High School…completed 161-267 passes for 2,039 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2015…threw just four interceptions…helped team to a 11-2 record and the quarterfinals of the state playoffs…also added 359 yards rushing…named the Region 4 Player of the Year…also all-county and honorable mention all-state…injured as a junior, but a part time starter as a sophomore when he completed 86-155 passes for 1200 yards and eight scores…also starter on the basketball team as a senior, he was key reserve as a sophomore…played his high school football for De’Timothy Floyd…selected Clemson over offers from Florida and Kentucky.
 
PERSONAL: Born on Dec. 31, 1997, in Miami, Fla…the son of Eric and Jennifer Cooper…the youngest of four siblings…earned his degree in sports management at JSU.