Jeremiah Cooper

Jeremiah Cooper is a redshirt senior who followed Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State for 2026, after a 2025 season cut short by injury. He grew up in El Paso and played both ways at Andress High. As a senior there he picked off nine passes and returned five for touchdowns, yet he was rated only a three-star recruit. He started seven games as a true freshman and was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. In 2023 he broke out with five interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a pick-six, earning first-team All-Big 12. At that point PFN's scouting report called him a potential top-50 prospect and one of the best safeties in the class after Malaki Starks. The report praised his explosive closing burst, loose hips and a former receiver's ball skills. It also liked his range of roles: single-high, two-high, or off-man coverage from the slot. Iowa State moved him to cornerback in 2025, but he made only four starts before the injury ended his year. Through five games at Penn State he has 16 tackles and two breakups, including a career-high eight tackles against Wisconsin. The concerns are the ones PFN raised two years ago: a lean frame, wrap-up tackling that comes and goes, limited impact against the run, and missed time in several seasons. His eight career interceptions are tied for second among active FBS players, so the coverage instincts are real. His draft case rests on teams trusting his health and seeing him as a cover-first safety or nickel.