4-star 2022 DE Ernest ‘R.J.’ Cooper warms up to Ohio State football, says he’ll visit
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State football program has gotten one step closer to landing its first 2022 defensive lineman, with the news that four-star junior defensive tackle Ernest “R.J.” Cooper has the Buckeyes in his top five.
Cooper plays for Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, and is ranked as the nation’s No. 9 defensive end and Texas’ No. 33 player. On April 8, he announced via Twitter that Stanford, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and Ohio State are the five programs he will focus on moving forward.
He wrote, “Thankful and blessed for this opportunity; I thank all of my coaches and my parents for all of their support.”
Recently, Ohio State has seen an uptick with prospects, making the top lists of notable d-linemen such as Christen Miller, Omari Abor and Derrick LeBlanc, all in the junior class.
But where did Cooper come from?
To be frank, Cooper (6-foot-4, 235) said that in September he wasn’t really in the loop with Ohio State and daily calls felt like a task. However, over the last couple of months, Cooper got intentional about his time, connecting with staffs across the nation, taking virtual visits and establishing his criteria, which eventually led to his top five list.
“What I’ve learned (about the recruiting process) is it’s very hectic. You’ve got to manage your time well and make sure you have your stuff together, managing your schedule right. If not, it will really stress you out,” Cooper said. “What changed is my time management. I’ve been able to make time and listen to the schools that I’m really interested in and not get sidetracked by anything else.”
Cooper on his top five
“My parents helped me (with my decision) but it was mostly on my own,” Cooper said. “What really made me make my decision is that I look for academics of course… that’s going to carry me far more than football could ever. Secondly, I want to be able to play somewhere I can play at the highest level, if not, play in the NFL. Third, I look to see what type of biology major they can offer me. So when it was all said and done I was able to get to those five schools.”
Stanford: “Upfront with Stanford it’s obviously the education. One of the best schools up there. California is a great environment and a great place. I definitely love the coaches down there and I got to talk with head coach David Shaw.”
Oregon: “I love talking with coach Joe (Salave’a) the defensive line coach. He’s a real great guy and loves hitting the weight room. Even right now, he was texting me about what the agenda was and how he’s going to attack the day each week.”
Notre Dame: “I love talking with the new defensive coordinator there, Coach Freeman (former Buckeye Marcus Freeman) and my position coach, Coach Elston. Coach Freeman being a new coach, a real young coach, I like the fire and the drive he brings to Notre Dame at the table. I actually got on a defensive position meeting with him and he was telling me how he was going to use me in their new scheme and how they’re going to play fast and physical.”
Texas A&M: “Coach (Terry) Price reminds me of a family member in a sense, kind of like my grandad or uncle… he’s always talking about food and football. But not only that, he also talks about the qualities and values he sees in myself and how I can go from just a football player to a young man.”
Ohio State: “I just got off of a position meeting there with not only Coach (Larry) Johnson there, but Coach (Ryan) Day joined the call and not only did he talk to me but he talked about the culture that the team had there, what they’re trying to establish, and the type of things they do in their program.
“My best memory with Coach Johnson is when I first called him and he explained himself to me and how he saw potential in myself and the type of football player he can make me into.”
When could his commitment come?
He plans to dedicate his summer to taking in-person official visits, with the news that the dead period will end on June 1.
“I’m excited about the dead period just as any recruit in my class would be,” Cooper said. “We’re still setting up visits, so we don’t have dates but we’re definitely visiting these top five colleges soon.”
Cooper said that he wasn’t first aware of the Buckeye Bash 2.0, but once he learned about the annual barbecue, he was more than interested in attending. Already, the Buckeye Bash and Barbecue will be heavily attended with a list of recruits and commits such as Quinn Ewers, C.J. Hicks, Abor and Zion Branch.
What about Cooper’s crystal ball prediction to Stanford?
In August, the prospect was assigned a crystal ball to Stanford by 247Sports.
Cooper says his recruitment is still open across all five schools.
“I’m still looking at all the top five,” Cooper said. “It kind of frustrates me when I see those predictions because the only reason that is there is because I took an unofficial visit to Stanford right before the pandemic hit. That was the only info people have on me and I won’t be able to make a decision until I’ve visited these campuses first.”
Braylon James is a four-star Buckeyes prospect out of Del Valle High School in Del Valle, Texas.247Sports photo
Ohio State offers 2023 WR
Sophomore wide receiver Braylon James out of Del Valle (Texas) High School has earned an offer from Ohio State.
James wrote on Twitter, “WOWW!! After a GREAT talk with Brian Hartline I am EXTREMELY excited and TRULY blessed to say I’ve received an offer from THE Ohio State University!!”
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect is ranked as Texas’ No. 19 player and has scholarship offers from programs like California, Colorado, Miami, Oregon, and Utah. He has been invited to the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game and is just the third 2023 receiver to be offered by the Buckeyes.
Jalen Hale and Brandon Inniss both became heavily targeted by Ohio State in recent months. The team has 18 receivers on its current roster and has two 2022 commits in Caleb Burton and Kyion Grayes.
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