Former Notre Dame Assistant Coach Headed to Rice

Former Iowa running back has coached at handful of big-time college football programs

Oct 1, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners assistant defensive coordinator Kerry Cooks before the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Former Notre Dame assistant coach Kerry Cooks is reportedly headed to Rice to join the Owls coaching staff as a defensive assistant.

Cooks has been a longtime Brian Kelly assistant, spending 2010-2014 and 2020-2021 at Notre Dame before spending the last two seasons at LSU.

Cooks coached the cornerbacks for two years at Notre Dame before being promoted to assistant defensive coordinator under Kelly. His second stint at Notre Dame saw him as a defensive assistant before spending the last two years as the safeties coach at LSU.

Cooks played a role in developing a handful of Notre Dame defensive backs that wound up playing in the NFL, including Harrison Smith, who has been one of the NFL's best defensive backs for over a decade.

Cooks played defensive back at Iowa before having a brief NFL career.

Cooks has also spent time during his coaching career at other traditional college football powerhouse programs like Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and others.

Rice is coming off a 6-7 season in 2023 where it earned an invitation to the First Responders Bowl.

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