Cooper keeping momentum going
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GAHANNA, Ohio - Ohio State defensive end commit Jonathon Cooper had as good of a camp season as any prospect in the nation, turning in dominant performances at the both the Atlanta and Columbus Nike camps, the Atlanta Rivals Camp series stop, and then national events such as The Opening and The Rivals Five-Star Challenge. On Saturday morning, Cooper was back on the football field for his team's first scrimmage and his dominance continued with a pair of sacks and three tackles-for-loss in limited reps.
"It felt great to get out there and finally hit somebody other than ourselves," said Cooper. "I definitely had a lot of fun out there."
Cooper had no issues carrying over the off-season momentum given Saturday's impressive performance. Carrying approximately 25 more pounds on his frame this fall, Cooper feels faster and stronger than ever.
"I'm noticing it because even though I put on a lot of weight, I'm still faster than I used to be," he said. "I'm obviously a lot stronger than I used to be and I think that showed even at the camps that I went to this summer when I was going against some really big offensive linemen."
A three-year varsity starter, Cooper wants to go out with a bang this fall and end his high school career on a high note.
"A dream season would be 10-0 with an OCC championship and a state championship," he said. "But really, I just hope that we become the best team that we are capable of being. Individually I'd like to have at least 100 tackles and at least 20 sacks."
An early pledge to Ohio State, Cooper took another step in his quest to officially become a Buckeye by signing his financial aid agreement earlier this week. While the paperwork does not legally bind him to Ohio State, it is considered a sign of good faith when a committed prospect does this and that is how the four-star prospect looks at it.
"I just did it to show them that they could trust me," he said. "We have a great relationship that is built on trust between myself and the people at Ohio State. I'm very close with all of the coaches so it just made sense."
In addition to focusing on his senior season, Cooper has become somewhat of a lead recruiter for Rivals100 defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson. The two stay in touch regularly and have built a good relationship during the off-season camp circuit. It hasn't been a high pressure sales approach by Cooper but he has let Jackson, who could decide this coming week, know that he feels Ohio State is the place to be.
"I just tell him that this is the best college in the nation," he explained. "I don't think there's anywhere else that you could go to get better coaching or a better family atmosphere."
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