Take Two: Will four-star Teriyon Cooper recommit to Texas?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.
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THE STORYLINE
When Teriyon Cooper committed to Texas in mid-February, it did not come as a huge shock because the Longhorns were recruiting him for over a year, he had loved visiting the campus and seemed sure the Big 12 program was the right spot for him.
It did come as a major surprise then that only a few weeks later the four-star athlete from St. Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic backed off that pledge, saying this past weekend at the adidas West Coast Invitational that he felt he made the decision too early and still wanted to take visits to other programs.
Cooper said Oklahoma, LSU, Nebraska and Ohio State are four schools he would like to visit soon. His recruitment could ramp up even more, though, as Miami, TCU and USC have offered in recent days.
Right before backing off his Texas pledge, Cooper took another visit to Illinois, where former Trinity Catholic coach Cory Patterson is an assistant and former teammate Shammond Cooper signed this past recruiting cycle.
The four-star athlete is already a national prospect with pretty much every team pursuing him. He looked great playing receiver at the adidas event this past weekend. Could Illinois slide in and steal the talented St. Louis standout? Or is his recruitment just getting started again with the Longhorns still having a legitimate shot at him?
FIRST TAKE: JASON SUCHOMEL, ORANGEBLOODS.COM
“I wasn’t surprised when he committed early, because Texas had been recruiting him for the better part of a year and frankly the Longhorns had always been the team to beat after multiple unofficial visits. The de-commitment happening so soon was a complete shock to me and everybody associated with his recruitment.
“Even after he visited Illinois, Mookie told me he was still solid to Texas and there was confidence on the Texas side. Two days later he reopens his recruitment. As for where it stands now, Mookie told me he’s back to square one but it does feel like Illinois has the inside track with him de-committing fresh off the heels of his visit to Illinois.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I think it’s wide open. Illinois got a couple of impressive four-star kids last year that a lot of people didn’t think they would get or hold on to. The Illini are recruiting at a pretty good level when you’re talking about high-level four-star kids showing interest. He de-committed after his Illinois visit, but everybody is going to come in now. USC just offered and he’s going to continue to get more offers. Texas isn’t going to quit. This one is going to go for awhile.
“We’ll see how Illinois does on the football field. This is an important year for Lovie Smith. If the Illini don’t show improvement then I think they’re going to have a hard time getting him. If they do have a good year, maybe even get to a bowl, they could get a kid like that.”