'20 MO WR (FR) - Mookie Cooper (Transfer to Missouri)

#BOOM: Four-star wide receiver Mookie Cooper has committed to Ohio State. https://t.co/cUlIaBKwiq

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) July 8, 2019

 

Mookie Cooper: Speedy St. Louis receiver picks Ohio State https://t.co/vGpXzdikUl

— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) July 8, 2019

 

New Ohio State commit Mookie Cooper is going to be a major headache for opposing defenses pic.twitter.com/zPmakJNiES

— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) July 8, 2019

 

24/7SportsComposite:

National: 126
Wide Receiver: 25
Missouri: 3

 

Mookie Cooper Is Another Playmaker in Ohio State's 2020 Class
As Mookie Cooper said on his Instagram Live and then told the media during The Opening Finals last week, he moved his commitment date up to this week and essentially committed as early as possible.

He wanted to create his commitment video and even told Eleven Warriors and other media about his idea to fall into the water and have the logo appear underneath the ripples. He just didn’t reveal who the team would be, even though nearly everyone knew it would be Ohio State.

But he made it official today around noon.

“I felt like it’s the best place to become a great player around a bunch of great people,” Cooper told Eleven Warriors. “You’re going against the best every day and getting better. Also loved the Real Life Wednesday program. Not too many schools have something like this if they do at all. It’s not too far from home, and I’m playing big-time football.”

Mookie Cooper is a big-play receiver. He averaged nearly 30 yards per catch as a junior in 2018, but it’s important not to pigeonhole him into that type of role. He will be extremely effective on a play-by-play basis too.

He stands at 5-foot-8, 193 pounds, and will work from the slot position. With playmakers like Garrett Wilson, Julian Fleming and Gee Scott Jr. that can make big plays downfield, most of Cooper’s big plays will need to come from big yards-after-catch plays and jet sweeps. That will greatly reduce his 29.8 yards per catch average he has at Trinity Catholic in St. Louis.

But Cooper will help stretch out the Ohio State offense and fills in the middle of the field so that players like Scott and Fleming and Wilson can do what they’re best at closer to the sidelines.

The way that Cooper can be used though shouldn’t signify a change in the way Ohio State is pursuing some all-purpose backs, though. Jaylan Knighton, who is more of a running back anyway, is still a take in Columbus, as well as EJ Smith and others. Most of Cooper’s damage will be done in the passing game outside of an H-back role.

The Ohio State wide receiver commits really wanted Cooper to come to Ohio State, and Hartline likes him because of his skillset that separates him from the other three wideouts that are already committed. All four receivers can have their own roles within the room, which is all a staff can do at this point to avoid transfers. There will be more about that on the site in coming days.

 

Video interview from the Hall of Fame Academy with Mookie Cooper on his commitment to #OhioState. Mentions Brian Hartline as a great WR coach. Also said he thinks Ryan Day will win a national title at OSU. https://t.co/dLYvm6gusN #PFBHOFAcademy

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) July 10, 2019

 

Ohio State adds another big-time playmaker.

@uheardof5 is one of the sauciest dudes in high school football. Huge pickup for the Buckeyes. #GoBucks

🎥: https://t.co/um43oaJaDJ pic.twitter.com/s1hpqaAf1J

— Zack Poff (@Zack_Poff_MP) July 8, 2019

 

#OhioState slot receiver Mookie Cooper's coach details what the #Buckeyes are getting by landing their No. 1 slot target. VIP https://t.co/86kcPuZXkW

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) July 11, 2019

 

📹 Quick Look 📹#Rivals100 WR Mookie Cooper is now a #Buckeyes pledge. @joshhelmholdt gives his analysis of the new #OhioState commit from his performances at the #RivalsChallenge last month & the #Rivals3StripeCamp in May.
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/O85i1xajxi

— Rivals (@Rivals) July 13, 2019

 

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Mookie Cooper

Last season, Trinity Catholic lost its first two games and then ran the table the rest of the way to win a Missouri state championship. Mookie Cooper was a large part of that success. Trinity Catholic scored more than 70 points on four different occasions, including an 88-0 victory at one point. Cooper played the role of an H-back on that team, and he likely will again in 2019.

First Game: at Lutheran North, Aug. 31

Game to Watch: at East St. Louis, Sept. 7

East St. Louis was the second of the two losses Trinity Catholic suffered in 2018, and it looks to be tooled to stop Trinity Catholic again. With Mookie Cooper’s ability to get to the second and third levels of defenses, he could meet 2020 four-star safety Antonio Johnson quite often.

 

#RivalsRankingsWeek: ATH Rankings#OhioState commit Mookie Cooper assumes the No. 1 slot in the updated @Rivals 2020 Athlete rankings. @JoshHelmholdt breaks down the new list: https://t.co/I5fahKUQax

📽️ Check out highlights of Cooper from the 2019 @RivalsCamp series 👇 pic.twitter.com/OBTomrb6WQ

— Rivals (@Rivals) August 17, 2019

 

Mookie Cooper

The most substantial note to take away from these ratings is that Mookie Cooper is now the No. 1 athlete in the country according to Rivals. The recruiting website classifies him as an athlete instead of a receiver, and I tend to agree. While he is a great receiver, understanding the role he plays at Trinity Catholic and the role he will likely play at Ohio State, he’s undeniably more than simply a pass-catcher. In his career, he’s carried the ball 26 times for 471 yards, and he’s scored three touchdowns off of punt and kickoff returns.

He doesn’t touch the ball very often actually. On plays from scrimmage, the ball was in his hands only 45 times – 17 carries, 28 catches – but he averaged 15.4 yards per carry and 29.8 yards per reception. His big-play ability certainly influenced his jump to No. 1, and considering him outside of the likes of Julian Fleming and Gee Scott Jr., and more like the player he is, paved the way.

 

Mookie Cooper leaving powerhouse Trinity Catholic
Early this week, rumblings began to emanate from St. Louis that something was awry with Ohio State commitment Mookie Cooper and his standing at powerhouse program Trinity Catholic.

Before letting the imagination run wild, understand that there’s been no hint of trouble or any insinuation that Cooper, the country’s 75th-ranked overall prospect, was doing anything wrong. His recruitment is not up in the air, and his commitment-status is not in peril.

What is in jeopardy, however, is his senior season of high school football. On Wednesday night, the facts of the matter were revealed, and it’s a situation that has been seen once already this year for another Buckeyes commit: If Cooper wants to enroll early at Ohio State like he intends, then he needed to make a very difficult choice to leave the school he’s represented well for three years.

From StLToday.com and David Kvidahl:

Cooper said his plan is to fulfill his academic requirements in short order and graduate early, an option that was not on the table at Trinity.

Like many private schools around the country, the Titans do not allow high school seniors the chance to finish up school in December and graduate early, a decision that may need to be revisited as the landscape of college football continues to change. Early-enrollment opportunities for the country’s best prospects are a game-changing element of how much impact can be made as a true freshman, and the value for the player is often too much to ignore.

Unfortunately, that sometimes means risking the chance for players to finish their careers where they started. After helping Trinity win a state title as a junior, there’s no doubt that decision couldn’t have been easy for Cooper and his family. He is slated to play in the Under Armour All-American game in January, and that may be the only time he’ll suit up again before stepping on campus in Columbus.

Ironically, this decision could potentially have some positive results for the Buckeyes. When Cooper made his college decision in July, he picked Ohio State over Illinois, where his Trinity Catholic’s former coach Cory Patterson now works. The ability to sway him from his decision leading up to signing day in December could be lessened now that he’ll be enrolled at Pattonville High School instead.

 

Teriyon "Mookie" Cooper (@uheardof5) has withdrawn from Trinity. https://t.co/2xj79qS6y7 #PDSuper30 #STLfootball #mopreps

— David Kvidahl (@DavidSTLhss) August 28, 2019

 

Mookie Cooper waits to play, ready for next Ohio State visit
It’s been a wild few months for Buckeyes 2020 wide receiver commit Mookie Cooper.

The talented slot receiver was one of the best performers at The Opening in Dallas in July. And while in Texas, Cooper announced that he was closing in on his college decision, which he announced a week later. That choice was Ohio State, where he and his mother visited at the end of that month and left feeling pretty good about everything in front of him.

Cooper, the nation’s 13th-ranked receiver prospect, had things turn upside down on him a short while later when he decided he wanted to enroll early at Ohio State and would need to leave Trinity Catholic (St. Louis) t0 do it. He’s seen his former high school work against his efforts to advance his career and has now enrolled at Pattonville Senior High School, where he awaits word on if or when he’ll be permitted to play football this season. Cooper is hoping for some resolution on that matter this week.

“They’re trying to see if I can play this week,” Cooper told Lettermen Row on Wednesday morning. “They’ve sent my transfer stuff to the state, I think on Tuesday, and they’re just waiting for a response.”

Missouri isn’t the only state in the country that has an issue with players transferring high schools — usually away from parochial institutions where there are different requirements needed for graduation to public schools. Cooper’s situation isn’t too unlike the one Paris Johnson found himself in at the end his junior season, when he opted to leave Cincinnati St. Xavier for Princeton High School.

The biggest difference here is that Cooper’s plans were not as concrete or made as early as the 5-star offensive tackle who he’ll play alongside in college. Those two will get a chance to meet up this weekend when Cooper heads to Columbus for his official visit with the Buckeyes.

“Man, you don’t know how excited I am,” Cooper said. “If I am not playing this weekend, I’ll leave to go there on Thursday night. I’m just happy to be a part of Ohio State still. That’s the bigger picture.”

Here’s hoping that the people in Missouri do the right thing and allow Cooper to get back on the field for his senior season of high school football.

 

Mookie Cooper finds comfort at Ohio State
There’s no answer yet for Mookie Cooper about his senior season. Fortunately for Cooper, the country’s 14th-ranked wide receiver, there’s one question he doesn’t need to consider — and he is still thrilled with his decision to be an Ohio State commitment.

“I literally don’t think I could’ve picked a better place,” Cooper told Lettermen Row following his official visit in Columbus. “I’m just super relaxed there around everybody. The coaches, the rest of the staff. Everybody. Then the game topped it all off. It’s just a bunch of cool people to be around.

“I needed this trip.”

Cooper believed he would receive a response about his senior-season eligibility before heading to Columbus last week. He didn’t.

The hope for a resolution continues. But no matter what happens, he knows he’s got a home at Ohio State and began to see the role he’d play for the offense taking shape after watching Saturday’s 76-5 win over Miami (Ohio).

“I think it’d be kind of like K.J. Hill,” Cooper said. “With a little bit of how they use Demario McCall. I’m able to line up at receiver and run routes, but they can use me in motion sweeps and stuff like they did with Parris Campbell.”

The Buckeyes verbal spent most of his time with fellow commits like Paris Johnson and trying to help recruit Ryan Watts III, who was also on his official visit at Ohio State. Cooper believes the Buckeyes are in the mix for Watts and will put his recruiting hat back on in the near future, because he expects to return to Columbus at least one more time this season.

“I was working on [Watts] — he’s a good kid and I think he really likes us,” he said. “I’m coming back at least once for Penn State or Wisconsin, but maybe both games.”