The Emergence of Defensive End Ernest Cooper IV
Not often do true freshmen come to Stanford and make an impact like Ernest Cooper IV has made. He's a player that hardly saw action in the first six weeks of the season. He should've been playing in every game from what I've seen against Arizona State. He is a very good player and a potential star in the making.
Who is Ernest Cooper IV
Ernest Cooper IV is a defensive end from the state of Texas. In high school, he became an Under-Armour All-American. Depending on which recruiting site you follow or look at he was either a 5-star recruit or a 4-star for most sites. He was ranked No. 27 by ESPN, No. 52 by PrepStar, No. 64 by On3, and No. 185 by Rivals. ESPN ranked Cooper IV the 8th best player in the state of Texas and ranked him 6th overall at his position, defensive end. Sounds like a truly dominant and highly recruited player to me.
Stanford beat out some big-time schools to get Cooper IV on campus. A few notable schools that Stanford was able to beat out were Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Texas A&M, Oregon, Notre Dame, and LSU. A whole lot of other big-time schools that are currently doing better than the Cardinal. Stanford was able to recruit a program changer.
Athletic Abilities of Cooper IV
Ernest Cooper IV is 6'4 245 on the edge. He is a super long athletic edge player who uses his speed to power in both the run game and as a pass rusher. In the run game, Cooper IV is very stout, he is very strong at the point of attack and is able to use his long arms to shed blockers. He plays bigger in the run game than his weight. Cooper IV has a very good motor, he doesn't stop or give up on plays, and he will chase sideline to sideline. As a pass rusher Cooper IV is limited in his pass rush moves, but during his playing time was able to put together a few moves that looked impressive for a freshman with cross chops, a spin move, and a bull rush. Having a few in his arsenal that he will be able to add onto is going to make him a very good edge player. Cooper IV relies on his length and athleticism, with those two and his work ethic, he is a prime player to continue to develop and become an anchor for the Cardinal defense and eventually an NFL prospect.
Production
In his first outing, he had a great statline that matched the tape. He showed explosiveness, the ability to beat tackles in multiple ways, and looked like a dominant player at times. He recorded 5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Now it's time for David Shaw and the Cardinal coaching staff to unleash the true freshman who looked dominant. The production is only going to go up. After one game he put together a stat line that most players hope to have. He is ready. Play him every down and let him get the valuable reps he needs, it will only help the team now and in the future.
