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Linebacker Jake Cooper came to Penn State from Archbishop Wood High School (along with teammate Ryan Bates) where he was a four-year letterman, and recorded 149 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions as a senior.
Although Cooper hasn’t seen a ton of starts in his three years at Penn State, when he’s been on the field (amid a group of very talented linebackers, by the way), he’s performed well.
A three-star recruit, Cooper started his career at Penn State in 2015, appearing in 12 games (with one start) as a true freshman. During the 2016 season, he tied a career high of 6 tackles against Michigan (before he missed most of the season due to injury). Last year, Cooper appeared in 7 games with 11 tackles (5 solo, 6 assists) – and has a total of 40 in his career so far for the Nittany Lions.
Off the field, Jake Cooper excels academically, named to the Academic All-Big Ten as a sophomore and junior.
As a senior this year, could Cooper earn more play time? If he can stay healthy, he’d be a strong asset to LBU this year. Penn Staters will find out in 33 days.