Devy Digest: Freshman Spotlight - WR Jalen Cooper

Welcome to Freshman Friday, where Andy Pham highlights upcoming freshmen who could make waves in the upcoming season.

Team: SMU Mustangs

Position: Wide Receiver

Jalen Cooper

6’1” 165 lbs

Draft Eligible: 2028

Who is Jalen Cooper?

Cooper was a four-star in the composites who attended Steele in Cibolo, Texas. Cooper was a two-year sensation. He caught 147 receptions for 3,268 yards and 50 total touchdowns in his career. Cooper held 22 offers and visited Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor, and SMU. Cooper chose SMU before his senior season and signed on early National Signing Day. He joins a strong class for SMU that features another four-star receiver in Daylon Singleton and a four-star quarterback, Ty Hawkins. SMU’s recruiting cycle was fruitful, and seeds have been planted for future classes. This trio will be the future of SMU.

Cooper will enroll early and will have a chance to make an impact in year one. His moniker is "Route King," and when you watch his craft, it’s easy to see why. He is a marvelous route runner—crisp in and out of his breaks with no wasted movement. Cooper shows exceptional hip fluidity and lateral agility. He understands tempo and spacing, stacks his corner, and gets into the corner’s frame to force them to backpedal, naturally creating separation.

Cooper is strong at the catch point and has good speed to win at all levels. He showcases excellent length and wins contested catches. He has a large catch radius with lengthy arms. He tracks the ball well, and with his long frame, he is a natural deep-ball threat. Cooper does a good job creating after the catch and wastes no time getting upfield. He is one of my favorite pure route runners in this class and just a joy to watch.

Cooper projects as a Z-receiver but has the fluidity to be lined up as a slot option. It’s likely that he will be best used off the line to have natural separation from the cornerback to avoid press coverage. Cooper was a standout receiver in high school and was named First-Team 6A in Texas, the top tier of Texas high school football.

Pathway to Success

Nobody in the SMU receiving room stood out last year, and they don’t bring in anybody of note. Ashton Cozart, formerly with Oregon, failed to impress, and SMU has a history of bringing in portal receivers that never live up to expectations—Jordan Hudson is another example.

Cooper is enrolled early and has a shot to impress the coaches right away. His natural route-running prowess and knack for getting open should catch the eye in a deep but unproven room. RJ Maryland is recovering from a torn ACL, and the entire passing game is in flux, as is the run game, with Brashard Smith heading to the NFL. There is very little that impresses on the roster, and Cooper has a chance to earn a role early and become the leader of the room.

Quarterback Kevin Jennings will need a go-to receiver, and a player who naturally separates, finds the soft spot in a zone, and works his way back to the quarterback can quickly become the top target. Cooper does all of those things.

Improvements/Concerns

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