Former Oklahoma Great Jon Cooper Returns to Norman with Western Carolina
When Western Carolina offensive line coach John Peacock died in August of complications from COVID-19, the Catamount football team was reeling.
Head coach Kerwin Bell, who had just filled out his new staff this summer following his hire in late April, turned to an Oklahoma Sooner to help fill the void.
Bell called Jon Cooper, a four-year starter at center at OU from 2005-08 and a second-team All-Big 12 performer in 2008, when he helped lead the Sooners to the BCS National Championship Game.
Cooper said his official hire date was Sept. 1, and Western Carolina opened its 2021 FCS season on Sept. 4. Now, the Catamounts are preparing for this weekend’s visit to Cooper’s alma mater — No. 4-ranked Oklahoma.
Jon Cooper
Western Carolina Athletics / Courtesy Phil Polito
“It was quick, fast and in a hurry,” Cooper told SI Sooners in a phone interview Wednesday. “You know, it surprised me. Just because I hadn't really thought of it. I wasn't out looking.”
"I think he’s a perfect fit for what we needed," said Bell. "A guy who has a lot of knowledge, a guy who’s really helped us in the run game, sort of get some things cleaned up that we were looking to do with coach Peacock, but he’s just sort of added to that. Come in and done a great job."
Cooper, from Fort Collins, CO, grew up the son of a coach and got into coaching when his NFL career ended in 2012. He started as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma for two years, then went to
Utah State, Missouri and eventually Central Florida — all with former Sooners quarterback and assistant coach Josh Heupel.
Cooper coached last year at Arkansas but was let go by Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman and was mulling his opportunities when Bell called completely out of the blue.
Cooper had previously coached tight ends in college but always wanted to coach offensive line — “my heart's with the big boys,” he said. He was thinking about high school football in the Northwest Arkansas area when Bell called.
Cooper said he felt a calling to pick up and move to Cullowhee, N.C.
Jon Cooper
Western Carolina Athletics / Courtesy Phil Polito
“I mean, I saw the news about Coach Peacock and I knew it was, obviously it's a tragedy,” Cooper said. “But it wasn't like, ‘Hey, there's this opening now at o-line.’ They called — and taking a job a week before the season is is tough.
“I think if was a different situation, if a guy left, or if, you know, a guy got fired or something, I would have thought long and hard about it. But these kids, they needed somebody. And I felt in my heart that I need to go and help them and do what I can to make make their season a little bit better if I can.”
Bell said he can appreciate Cooper's position and how the players have responded to him.
"Perfect fit as far as personality," Bell said. "I think the kids have really bought in to what he’s doing. It was good to see that after coach Peacock had brought so much to the table and guys had really bought into him and loved coach Peacock."
Peacock was a new coach himself at Western Carolina, so his players were still getting to know him. When he died, his players were left confused and hurting.
“You know, it's been hard,” Cooper said. “And you can tell, they're — I got a tough group of kids. I love them. I've only been around for a little while. But they love the game of football, they love to play, and they love each other. It's — you can tell — it's been hard on some of these guys. Some more than others. You know, the grieving process isn’t the same for everybody.
“And anytime you get a new coach, It's tough because you're taught a certain thing a certain way. Most people have multiple coaches in their career, and you can't really trust a coach until the coach shows you something to be successful. Or else it's like, ‘Well shoot, I've never done it this way, this isn't how my coach taught me.’ And then when they have some success with it, then they start to trust you, then they start to listen a little more. There's always a little bit of skepticism, until they feel what you're telling them and have success.”
Said Bell, "I think Coach Cooper’s been the perfect hire. He’s done a tremendous job so far, and now we gotta go out Saturday against his former team. He’s gonna be juiced up, and I know our line will play extremely well for him knowing the situation."
As for Cooper, he’s still on a steep learning curve after the sudden change.
“It's been a whirlwind,” he said. “Shoot, I got here and my first thing was like, ‘Shoot, I gotta learn these guys’ names.’ I didn't know any of them and we’re playing a game in a week. You know?
“So I'm starting to learn and I finally think I know what our schedule is — I was just kind of walking around aimlessly and sitting in my office and grinding — and someone told me there was a meeting, so I went to the meeting. But I didn't know a whole lot that was going on. I was just focused on learning the scheme.”
Cooper said Bell “is a great coach, he's a great leader, you can tell the players respect and love him and listen to him. He does a great job of working with the offense and the defense while giving input but also letting the coaches coach. So I think he does a great job with that. But he's also, he's gonna make sure we're on our stuff. He watches every play at practice and when we're in the meeting the next day he gives the notes, whether it's for the o-line, the receivers or the quarterbacks or the d-line or the corners, nickel whatever it is, he's dialed into every single detail.”
The Catamounts played three games last fall, then played the bulk of their normal season in the spring. Now, they’ve got a full schedule lined up this fall. That’s a physical challenge that goes against the normal football body clock.
“I don't know, I haven't been here to be able to have any comparison,” Cooper said, “but I know if I went through three straight seasons, I'd be a little bit worn down.”
Still, Cooper seemed impressed at how the offensive line played last week in a 31-28 loss to Eastern Kentucky. Western Carolina rushed for 226 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry and gave up just one quarterback sack.
“I think we're getting there,” Cooper said. “We had some success this past week the game didn't turn out our way. … Wasn't good enough. We gotta be able to execute a little bit better.”
It’ll be a little bigger challenge this week when Cooper’s troops try to scheme up and block the Sooners.
“You know, they do a lot of good stuff,” Cooper said. “They really do. They play a lot of guys that play hard. Coach Tibbs (former OU teammate Calvin Thibodeaux) does a great job with those guys. They're penetrators, they get after the quarterback, they make it hard on you with as much stuff as they do.
“They're obviously a very well coached team, and they got big athletes that play hard and that's an attribute to the coaching. I mean, sometimes you get great athletes and great players that, shoot, only go a few plays then you can catch them off. They play hard all the time, and that's probably their best attribute, is the effort that they give.”
Cooper and his wife, Julia, from Edmond, have two young children. The family is still back in Fayetteville, but he said they’ll be at the game this week.
“So I'll get to see them,” Cooper said. “It’s been a few weeks now. It'll be good to see the kids.”
Cooper said his son has “been to the stadium” in Norman but not for a game.
“So it'll be cool to get together and hopefully get on the field with him after the game or something to get a picture,” Cooper said.
There was no thought to immediately picking everyone up and moving the clan to North Carolina. Not yet, anyway.
“After I got the call, I mean, I was on a plane as fast as I could,” Cooper said, “and my wife's actually got a little home business that she does. So she couldn't quite leave in a hurry. And with a 4-year-old (son Cage) and an 8-month-old (daughter Carter), it's not easy to just pick up and go, and we got to sell a house and all that stuff. So it's been a little chaotic. But that’s kind of the life in the coaching world. My wife Julia is a stud. She's a great coach's wife, and does a lot of really good, good things and holds our house together when I'm not there.”
Bell acknowledges the timing is unusual.
"It’s funny," Bell said, "you hire him and all sudden in a couple weeks you’re playing his alma mater.
"He was a great football player there. Had great success there as a starting center.
He’s looking forward to it, I can tell you. he wants to go in and do well against his former team. He’s told us about the crowd, about the sidelines, how narrow they are to the fans, and how close the fans are to us. So, gave us some good insight. But yeah, he’s ready to go."
Cooper said this trip is “not about me” and he has seen the OU facility since his playing days, but he also said he can’t wait to see all his old teammates and assistant coaches on Lincoln Riley’s staff: Thibodeaux, DeMarco Murray, Joe Jon Finley, Cale Gundy, Ty Darlington, Bill Bedenbaugh and others.
“There's there's a bunch of those guys that I've known for a long time,” he said. “That means a lot to me and it's always fun in this coaching profession when you get a chance to compete against those guys. And again, it's going to be good to catch up a little bit, love on ‘em, give ‘em a hug and then go try to go try to beat each other's ass.”
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