By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
D-I interest picking up for Cooper
Interest from the Division I level is seemingly increasing by the day for the services of W.S. Neal Blue Eagles junior offensive lineman Jared Cooper.
Cooper already has offers from Duke, Troy and most recently Southern Mississippi on the table. W.S. Neal coach Blaine Hathcock expects more to come across over the upcoming months.
Although Cooper has not appeared in the postseason spotlight at W.S. Neal since his freshman season, he was selected to participate in last December's state juniors all-star game played at Troy.
Cooper said the early stages of his selection process are exciting.
While Cooper is a long way from making a decision, he said there are a lot of factors he is considering.
staff and the student population is a big consideration,” Cooper said. &#8220From a football standpoint, there are a lot of things I will look at such as a program's depth chart. I don't necessarily want to go to a program where I have to wait until my senior year to start. I want to look at a program's success. I obviously want to
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go somewhere a team is going to win some games.”
While it is fun to watch the recruiting process unfold, Hathcock admits it is also a lot of work.
Cooper said if the right offer comes along, he expects to commit early.