Top South Florida runner is heading to Oregon. He’ll play football there, too.
It’s pretty safe to say at this point that Tyrese Cooper is fast. Real fast.
Wednesday morning was “Signing Day, Part II” around the country and Cooper, whose lightning fast speed on the track, not to mention the football field for the Norland Vikings had just about every major college in the country seeking his multiple athletic talents, was armed and ready with three different hats (Ohio State, Texas and Oregon) to put on his head.
When he approached the podium, Cooper, which some kids love to do, put on one final “juke” on everyone by first donning an Ohio State cap before removing it and putting on the green University of Oregon hat announcing he was going to be a Duck for the next four years.
Cooper was the headliner for a big event in the school’s auditorium as football coach Daryle Heidelburg honored many members of his team with awards before announcing eight other players besides Cooper who were inking scholarship deals.
“I’m not sure, I guess it just felt different. I want to just get far away from South Florida and put some distance behind me,” said Cooper. “It’s TrackTown USA and I really liked that part of it.”
And he also liked the fact that Oregon and former FIU head football coach Mario Cristobal green lighted him as far as allowing him to run track in addition to playing football for the Ducks.
Cooper played wide receiver and defensive back for Heidelburg but what has really turned heads his way over the last five years has been his speed, blinding speed.
High school state championships in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes were preceded by Middle school state records that he still owns.
In August 2016, Cooper ran new personal bests in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. His 400 meters times of 45.23 seconds came within .09 seconds of Obea Moore’s World Youth Best and surpassed Kirani James for the fifth-fastest by a Youth (under 18) athlete ever.
“Once I got out on the track, I just fell in love with running and I just kept running,” said Cooper. “Now I”m excited I’m going to be able to continue running and play football at the same time.”
“When I coached him in football in 2012 he was a defensive end and I would see him get around the edge so fast and get to the quarterback I couldn’t believe it,” said Darrius Lashea, Cooper’s track coach. “I coached the Miami Gardens Express MGX track team at the time and he came up to me and told me that he wanted to run faster than anybody. I told him it was going to take a lot of hard work but he was determined.”
Indeed as it took Cooper more than two years before he saw his efforts begin to pay off.
“It didn’t come overnight and we didn’t see the results right away,” said Lashea. “But he was a determined kid and we kept at it, hitting the hills and running the stands until it really started to come together.”
That, according to Lashea, was in 2015 when he broke Moore’s record in the 200 meters at the USA TF Junior Olympics in Jacksonville.
“It was at that point I knew I had someone special on my hands,” said Lashea. “This is a proud day for him and his family and I think he’s going to do great things for Oregon.”
OTHER NORLAND FOOTBALL SIGNEES
Deon Jones (QB), Chadron State (Neb.)
Larry Smith (LB), UAB
Darrius Williams (LB), South Florida
Trayon Russell (DB), Chadron State
Patrick Bonner (DB), FAMU
Joshua Blanchard (OT), South Florida
William Bradford (LB), Chadron State
Kasey Prosper (OL), Wittenburg
This story was originally published February 6, 2019 at 12:32 PM.