ISU drawn to 2022 Texas DB's playmaking ability
One of the first moves by new Iowa State safeties coach Deon Broomfield was offering a standout defensive back from the same state he had just moved on from.
El Paso (Texas) Andress junior Jeremiah Cooper said he started getting contact shortly after Broomfield had moved on from a stint as the assistant defensive backs coach with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
“It was on a Saturday when Coach Broomfield followed me on Twitter,” said Cooper. “I was messaging with him a little bit that night. He said he loved how I play and I was going to deserve everything he was going to give me. He wanted me to give him the next morning. I called him and he said all the coaches loved my film and watched it Saturday night.
“He said he just got the job two weeks before that and he decided I was going to be the first safety he offered. A lot of it is my instincts, like the ability to tackle, make plays, fundamentals and all the techniques. That’s really what they’re looking for and what he liked.”
Another recent Cyclone hiring from the Lone Star State also had a hand in the Big 12 program jumping on board Cooper’s recruitment.
“One of the coaches I talked to was Coach (Jeff) Mills and he was from Houston Baptist.,” Cooper said. “He really liked me a lot. He went to Iowa State and was the one that told Coach Broomfield about me.”
As a junior, Cooper recorded 28 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, two pass breakups and a pair of fumble recoveries. He scored nine touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. Cooper’s Andress team played just five regular season games during the 2020 season.
“This year, I really made a lot of plays on both sides of the ball,” he said. “On defense, I really just flew around sideline to sideline trying to make as many plays as possible. We only played a few games, so I tried to make the most of it.”
With Broomfield onboard and running point, Cooper says the coach has first started selling him on Iowa State as a school and the community around it.
“We’ve hopped on a couple Zooms so far and we’ve talked about the school and city, the population,” Cooper said. “He said Iowa State was the school for him and he loved everything about it. Iowa State is a great program and he said I’d love it there. He says the atmosphere is crazy and you won’t find another one like it, especially on game days.
“It’s cool how he’s coaching over there now. He likes the city of Ames and said everything revolves around Iowa State. The dorms look really nice. I’ve seen the facilities and those are great.”
A three-star prospect with a 5.5 Rivals rating, Cooper also has Power-5 offers from Baylor, Boston College, Kansas State, Syracuse and Texas Tech.