Penn State Football 2018 Player Profile: LB Jake Cooper

VBR takes a look at veteran linebacker Jake Cooper. Penn State football needs him to fill in and produce as a reserve backer.

It’s been an up and down career for Penn State football’s Jake Cooper. The now-senior linebacker went from an early starter in his freshman year to a backup over the last two years. The early part of his career made it seem like he would become another solid member of Penn Stat football’s “Linebacker U.”

Unfortunately for Cooper, a logjam of talent at linebacker and an injury in 2016 ultimately led to him sliding down the depth chart over the last two years. Still, the talent continued to shine through in his three seasons. He has racked up 40 career tackles including 10-plus in each of his three seasons.

Cooper started three games and managed to compile 17 tackles. He proved that he could make plays at the collegiate level. A few weeks ago, I discussed that his career could close out like last year’s senior linebacker Brandon Smith. Cooper isn’t a walk-on, but he has had a similar career. In much of his time in Happy Valley, Cooper didn’t get to see a ton of action. Now, he has a chance to start or contribute more in his final year.

When he did get on the field, he filled in capably and gave the defense a hard-working member of the linebacking corp. He comes well-equipped and primed to help when the team needs him to like Smith did.

Before he came to Happy Valley, he built a highly-productive career at Archbishop Wood High School. He recorded 404 tackles in his final three years as a starter including 149 and 152 in his senior and junior years respectively. He led his team to two state championships and was named a captain in his final two years.

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Cooper’s leadership and confidence as a player will help him in his competition for the starting job. He and junior linebacker Cameron Brown are both driven to get the job after not starting for their entire careers. Although Brown carries the athleticism edge, Cooper fits the more traditional mold at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds. His body makes him a thumper inside something that could come in handy against the Big Ten’s power running teams.