Rivals250s Cooper visits GT

Rivals250 defensive tackle Darian Cooper took his second official visit this past weekend. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder made his way to Atlanta to see Georgia Tech.

"It was amazing," he said. "I had a great time. It was just the people, the atmosphere and the fact it's a real metropolitan city, right in the middle of Atlanta. You have all the big lights, all around, but at the same time it's kind of tucked away. I like you can make the campus as big or small as you want."

Cooper arrived on campus on Friday and discussed the trip further.

"I got there around twelve and the visit was chock full of stuff," he said. "I did a whole bunch of eating, playing Madden and visiting and hanging out with the players. They keep you on the move so much, I never really felt like I got a chance to sleep because I'm always doing something."

While on campus, Cooper took in one of the Yellow Jackets practices in preparation for their bowl.

"It was great," he said. "I got to see them go live for a bit, that was exciting. They predict me as a defensive end in their system. I have the opportunity if it arises to get me on the field faster to play nose guard. I have played end and you know I've played a lot in the 3-4 scheme at our school.

"All football boils down to is being disruptive and making tackles behind the line of scrimmage, that's what they are asking me to do."

Meanwhile, on the trip Cooper was hosted by D.C. prospect Jeremiah Attaochu.

"It was great, he's a great guy," he said. "He told me he actually had to study for a final exam so he didn't hang out much on Saturday with me, but I hung out with all the guys.

"They were telling me about Coach Groh, Coach Johnson and the defensive line coach. They talked about how everything works and how the campuses are interconnected."

Prior to leaving today, the four-star prospect met with Coach Paul Johnson and the staff further.

"It was amazing with the coaches, talking to them, getting to know the people better. It's different than over the phone," he said. "Coach Johnson is very polite, he seemed very cool, calm and collected. He was relaxed and no pressure, he was just real mellow."

So, how was the visit overall?

"The players are amazing people and the staff are great guys," he said. "It seemed like such a happy family with so many big personalities there. They mesh and blend, I like that they also have a free style rap session, it's fun there."

Cooper plans to continue his visits in January with his final three to Michigan, Penn State and Iowa.

In the meantime, Cooper plans to participate in the Crab Bowl and Chesapeake Bowl over the holidays.

"As far as these go, I'm just looking to go out there and compete against the best locally," he said. "I kind of what to put my foot in the ground and stake my claim and gauge myself.

"I want to be a better overall player. I'm working to run faster, jump higher and do everything. I feel I'm not close to my potential and I know the upper echelon players are the guys that have mastered the fundamentals."