State champion TCC teammates remember ‘Big Coop,’ who died hours after graduating

“We ran right behind him, and he really helped us spring that (state championship) game open against Woodward (Academy) way back then,” Rogers said. “But that’s just who he was.”

Cooper became a starter the following season, and Rogers and his teammates saw a leader emerge. Cooper became an offensive anchor for one of the most talented teams in Georgia and earned scholarship offers from schools like Tulane, James Madison, UCF, Cincinnati and Kennesaw State.

Florida coach Jon Sumrall, who recruited Cooper to Tulane, reacted to the news of his death on X, in part saying: “Coop was a fun guy to recruit. He had a vibrant and infectious personality.”

“He understood when to lead the fun and (when) to get ready to compete,” Rogers said. “That’s one of the biggest things I respect about him was how he kind of understood the different roles and times of being certain ways.”

Robert Wilson played alongside Cooper on the offensive line for four years. Wilson recalled that exact duality — the difference in Cooper’s personality on the field and in the locker room.

“He’d trash talk you, too. Coop would get in your head,” Wilson said. “He’d stay stuff. He wouldn’t mean it, but the way he was saying it, you would think he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

“But he’d be the person that would be hugging on you right after the practice after he just got done talking trash with you.”

Leonard Guyton III played with Cooper in middle school, but the two played for different high schools for the first three years of their careers. Then Guyton transferred back to Thomas County Central in 2025, and the senior was tasked with learning a brand-new offense months before his final season began.

Guyton said Cooper was there for him in the early practices, helping him get comfortable with the offense. Then, when Guyton broke his ankle in spring practice, he leaned on Cooper again.

“Coop would text me every day, making sure I’m in rehab, making sure I’m learning the plays and checking on me to make sure I’m OK,” Guyton said. “I was really grateful for that. Nobody knows that, but that’s one thing I would say tells you who Coop was.”

Wilson remembers Cooper’s competitiveness at its strongest on the day of the 2025 state championship. The entire team was warming up before kickoff, and Cooper was nowhere to be seen.

The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder was battling illness.

“The way it was looking, he was not going to be able to play in that game at all,” Wilson said. “When we did warm-ups with the team and all that, he wasn’t even out there with us. He was still in the locker room, and we didn’t know if he was going to play or not.

“But I’m telling you, when it was time for game time, Coop was out there on that field ready to go.”

Cooper led Thomas County Central’s offensive line in a 62-21 domination of Gainesville. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 457 yards and seven touchdowns.

Every Thomas County Central player will wear a helmet decal in Cooper’s honor this season. The Yellow Jackets would love to honor Cooper with another championship in 2026, but Rogers spoke about another way to honor their former teammate this season.

“When I talked about it, the biggest thing is, I hope we all understand that a lot of us are going to get opportunities that Big Coop never got a chance to do,” Rogers said. “Big Coop was wanting to go play college football, and we’ve got some guys that are going to get to play college football. Big Coop was going to be a father one day and Big Coop was going to have a career he was going to chase one day, and he’s not going to get to.

“And so when we get those opportunities now, make sure we don’t take them for granted, because I can promise you Big Coop would give anything to be able to do those things that sometimes we get frustrated by doing.”