Coach | 2025 Notre Dame WR Target Jalen Cooper Offers Plenty
Notre Dame is looking for a receiver to stretch the field and the Irish believe they found somebody who can do that for them in 2025 Texas receiver Jalen Cooper.
“I think the thing from just a talent perspective, from the athletic perspective, he is extremely long, extremely lengthy, and he has some of the most deceptive speed I've been around,” Cibolo Steele High School assistant head coach Nicholas McDow says.
“He covers ground so much faster than what it is. He gets up on you before you realize it and he just explodes by you. I wouldn't call him like a blazer, even though he's a legit 4.4 FAT time, laser-time kid. I think he ran 11.1 100, so he's not a 10.3 or 10.4 100 guy, like some of the top national prospects or kids like that. But his speed on the field, he just covers ground because of his strides and he gets up on you and next thing you know it's going by you. Deceptive speed, deceptive top-end speed I would say; long, extremely long, extremely lengthy.”
Cooper committed to SMU back in July, but the Irish are making a serious push for him since offering a scholarship in late-August.
McDow, who is also the co-offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and receivers coach, also points to Cooper’s ability to catch the ball.
“He has some of the best hands I've ever been around,” he says. “His ball adjustment skills in the air to track a ball midair is extremely impressive to me. We've had a number of D-I receivers come through this place, multiple NFL kids come through here and he's got some of the better ball adjustment skills mid-flight that I've been able to see from kids.”
McDow also lauds Cooper for his ability to get open.
“He's one of the best route-runners I've been around,” the coach says. “He's an incredible route-runner, and he works very hard at route-running. He's far from polished because when you're 17, 18 years old, you're far from polished. But what they will be able to do with him in college to polish up his routes, his quickness, he's got the route work down, the ball skills down.”
The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder has one obvious place to grow.
“His weight,” McDow says. “He's a very typical tall, lanky, skinny kid.
“He really never lifted weights like a public school lifts weights or our program lifts weights. We're very college-heavy weight wise. We kind of replicate some colleges on how we lift our weights and so he's put on incredible weight. He's really reshaped his body, but he's still got another 20 pounds. I would bet he would put on 20 to 25 pounds while he's in college. Whenever you pair that 6-foot and a quarter with a 190-pound frame, you're talking about a legitimate, legitimate NFL-style receiver.
“It's really just the frame. How much weight can this young man put on and still maintain that speed or is he going to be more like an Xavier Worthy who's a skinnier, fast, elite kid with great route-running ability? He's very Xavier Worthy in my eyes, I see him just very much like that. Maybe not the speed. Xavier Worthy was blazing fast. I think in high school, Xavier Worthy was like a 10.1 in high school. That's not Jalen, but similar builds similar makeup in regards to route-running and things like that.”
And off the field, McDow calls Cooper “a phenomenal young man.”
“He really is,” the coach continues. “He's very quiet. He's not a big talker. He's not a rah-rah guy. He's just quiet, handles his business. I've actually taught him in class. He takes AP classes, very smart kid, committed to the classroom.
“Then he just gets to the point where on the football field, he puts his helmet on and it's like 'Game on!' You see this passion. He's one of the more competitive kids I've been around. Every time a DB runs his mouth at him, I'm always like, 'OK, calm down. Let's not get into it.' Then he just wants the ball. 'Give me the ball so I can show this one kid up.' Very, very competitive, but very quiet. Outside the football field, he's a quiet kid. Loves to keep to himself. He's a family guy. He's a great kid, he really is. He's a great kid. He's been awesome for our football program. He's been on our leadership council for the last three years since his sophomore year. That kind of gives you an idea, that's voted on by his teammates.”
Notre Dame is hopeful it will be able to get Cooper on campus for an official visit sometime soon.
