Cooper expecting big spring
Miami (Fla.) Northwestern wide receiver Amari Cooper spent his junior campaign buried by a talented depth chart. Now, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound target is starting to flash his skills, most recently at the Badger Sports 7-on-7 held at the University of South Florida.
With each event, and each impressive showing turned in by Cooper, more schools are taking notice.
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"I've had a verbal offer from FIU for a while, but UCF just recently offered me," Cooper said.
Cooper talked about what he heard from the University of Central Florida staff when they offered.
"The receivers coach (David Kelly) has been talking to me for a long time," Cooper said. "We had a very good conversation when he offered me. He was interested in more than football. He was talking about trying to make me a better person and things like that."
At this point in his recruitment, Cooper has yet to visit UCF but hopes to at some point down the road. So far, the only schools that he has been able to visit are Florida State and Miami.
He made his way to Tallahassee to check out the Seminoles for a recent Junior Day.
"Florida State was real impressive to me," Cooper said. "We got a tour of the whole campus. We saw that they have a lot of traditions. We saw the locker room, the facilities, the weight room, the field, the cafeteria, everything like that. It was real impressive."
As for an offer from the Garnet and Gold, that won't come until at least the spring according to Cooper.
"Coach (Lawrence) Dawsey said he was going to come see me this spring," Cooper said. "I think when they come to see me this spring, I have a very good chance at getting that offer."
The South Florida prospect was also able to make his way to Coral Gables to check out Al Golden's team.
"Miami has always been an impressive school to me," Cooper said. "I used to always go there when I was small, so it was nothing new to me. I went to a basketball game while I was there, so that was cool. I met mostly all of the coaches."
The Hurricanes are a childhood favorite for the Miami native.
"I grew up a Miami fan, always liked them," Cooper said. "An offer from them would be big. But I am not sure how hard they are recruiting me."
With the spring season around the corner, Cooper believes his recruitment is about to take off with a lot of schools due in at Northwestern over the next few months.
"This year is my year," Cooper said. "I think I have a great chance to show a lot of things. I just can't wait for it to start."