Started By
Message
re: LSU, MSU and USC Fans - Scoop on Ron Cooper?
Posted on 2/2/17 at 11:56 am to cardboardboxer
Posted on 2/2/17 at 11:56 am to cardboardboxer
I'll add this just for a FWIW ...
Ron Cooper had 2nd string DBs here at Carolina go to the NFL and play for years. Same draft mind you, second teamers ... that's how deep and talented our secondaries were under Cooper.
Ron Cooper had 2nd string DBs here at Carolina go to the NFL and play for years. Same draft mind you, second teamers ... that's how deep and talented our secondaries were under Cooper.
1
Posted on 2/2/17 at 11:56 am to cardboardboxer
Heard him speak at a coaches clinic a few years ago. Excellent attention to detail, very knowledgeable. One of the best in the business.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 11:58 am to SlowurRole
quote:
He's excellent as a DB coach! Recruiting did not cost him his job. He left after the 2011 year for the pro's.
Leaving for the pros was part of it, but let's not act like his antics didn't rub people the wrong way and expedite his exit.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 12:02 pm to Restomod
Wasn't there something wrong with recruiting receipts or something of that nature at Lsu?
Posted on 2/2/17 at 12:11 pm to Bear88
quote:
Wasn't there something wrong with recruiting receipts or something of that nature at Lsu?
Was said he took trips, claimed expenses without seeing a recruit, also offering scholarships without getting approval from Miles.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 12:11 pm to cardboardboxer
I think LSU's talent made up for a lot of his deficiencies IMO. Look at his head coaching record. Look at what he did as DC was at State. Let's not act like Cooper wasn't thrown under the bus publicly by Ol Ball coach a couple of times. Look at what he did in Tampa. Like I said, he was fortunate at LSU to have guys like Claiborne, Petersen, Honey badger. But that's just my opnion.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 12:15 pm to Cdawg
Claiborne and TM7 weren't highly recruited guys though. I see what you're saying but there was clearly some development there. Our pass d wasn't great but the run defense is our biggest problem and Cooper can't help much there.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 12:39 pm to ShaneTheLegLechler
Cooper is a very solid hire
Posted on 2/2/17 at 1:50 pm to cardboardboxer
Excellent Coach , maybe the best DB coach there is but not a great recruiter
Posted on 2/2/17 at 1:57 pm to scrooster
quote:
LULZing at those talking about the expense account stuff. Who cares when the guy can recruit and coach like he can.
Except he can't really recruit, or at least doesn't want to. At LSU, he never got a DB to commit outside of the Summer Camps.
The off campus recruiting trips may not have actually happened if the only evidence of them are his expense reports.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 2:16 pm to scrooster
didn't Coop offer a kid at Tucker HS (suburban ATL) that the rest of the staff wasn't on board with? and then Spurrier pulled the offer and USC got banned from Tucker? could've sworn that was him.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 2:25 pm to ATLTiger
Yeah, well, sort of.
But that was a personal battle between the HBC and Coop at the end because Coop wanted a raise that some of Spurrier's people had gotten.
I did not agree with how Coop handled it ... and it damn sure pissed off Franklin Stephens, he went overboard about it honestly. I think the player's name was Tucker, no wait, that was the HS. The player's name was Johnny Davis maybe? I remember he was a small linebacker that Coop thought would be a good safety prospect in the mold of what was later known as the Honey Badger mold ... and now Jamyest Williams. I mean the kid was a LB but he was like 5'6" in heels. I forget what happened to him but that was the end of it between Spurrier and Cooper and Spurrier never had a great secondary like those we had under Cooper.
Spurrier should have handled it differently as well.
There's actually a lot more to the story but I remember it very well.
But that was a personal battle between the HBC and Coop at the end because Coop wanted a raise that some of Spurrier's people had gotten.
I did not agree with how Coop handled it ... and it damn sure pissed off Franklin Stephens, he went overboard about it honestly. I think the player's name was Tucker, no wait, that was the HS. The player's name was Johnny Davis maybe? I remember he was a small linebacker that Coop thought would be a good safety prospect in the mold of what was later known as the Honey Badger mold ... and now Jamyest Williams. I mean the kid was a LB but he was like 5'6" in heels. I forget what happened to him but that was the end of it between Spurrier and Cooper and Spurrier never had a great secondary like those we had under Cooper.
Spurrier should have handled it differently as well.
There's actually a lot more to the story but I remember it very well.
Posted on 2/2/17 at 3:05 pm to tigerbait2010
Coop might actually be tGOAT DB coach but he hates off campus recruiting (sound familiar)
That said his camp evals are clutch af
I think any beef he had was with Miles and the recruiting shenanigans, not Chablis.
That said his camp evals are clutch af
I think any beef he had was with Miles and the recruiting shenanigans, not Chablis.
This post was edited on 2/2/17 at 3:06 pm
Posted on 2/2/17 at 3:25 pm to cardboardboxer
quote:
We just hired him as a DB coach. I know he coached at all of your programs, any comments on him as a coach or as a recruiter?
He sucks as a recruiter and not as good as Raymond as a coach...soooo
Posted on 2/2/17 at 4:19 pm to The Baker
quote:Agreed. At least top 5 without the historical homerism.
Damn, best DB coach in the business
Posted on 2/2/17 at 4:55 pm to scrooster
Yeah it was Jonathan Davis. He ultimately went to UCF and played his first two years there as a RB, but was mostly a backup during those years.
His Jr. and Sr. seasons he was moved back to defense as a LB and became one of the team's leaders his final two years, so good for him.
My understanding of the Davis/Tucker fiasco was that the staff used a system during those days when it came to recruiting, that the entire staff would sound off at coaches meetings, and have to approve unanimously of giving a kid a scholarship offer - regardless of whether that coach would ever coach the kid - before the offer was given. Now it could be my recollections are off and we started this system AFTER Cooper and because of the Tucker High fiasco, but I'm thinking it was already in place.
Apparently the new DC Ellis Johnson (he was also LB coach) didn't want Davis to be offered, but Cooper made the kid's family and HS coach some promises and offered him anyways. Then Davis attempted to commit to USC, when his offer hadn't even been approved by the DC, much less the rest of the staff. So not only would the staff not honor the commitment, but they then had to tell the kid and his HS coach that the offer was pulled. Things have since been reconciled between USC and Tucker High, even before Spurrier left as HC, so its all in the past now....
But Cooper is a very solid DBs coach: In his first year at USC On Lou Holtz' staff (it was Holtz' final year at USC) in 2004 he coached the secondary to the 14th-ranked pass defense in the nation, which was good enough for 5th in the SEC. When Spurrier took over in 2005, Cooper spent one year coaching the LBs and Special teams. Dave Wommack was hired initially by Spurrier to coach the secondary this season (USC would be 5th in the SEC in pass defense this season, and 22nd nationally).
Beginning in 2006 Cooper was back coaching the DBs and was promoted to Assistant Head Coach to allow him to have a multi-year contract and make more money. The first year back at the position, USC would drop to 8th in the SEC in pass defense, and 43rd overall. The position improved substantially however in 2007, as Cooper had the USC pass defense lead the SEC and was 4th-ranked nationally. In 2008 (Cooper's final year at USC) USC had the #2-ranked pass defense in the nation, which led the SEC once again.
There could be substance to what scrooster said about issues with Cooper wanting more money: in 2008 when Johnson replaced Tyrone Nix as DC, the defensive staff was shuffled a bit, and Cooper took over the safeties while Shane Beamer coached the CBs. Cooper also lost his Ast. HC title and became just a standard position coach. I'm sure he took a salary hit as well due to this.
I'm not sure how well Cooper fit with Johnson, and Johnson's idea of the hybrid Spur LB/S position. In 2009, after Cooper left for LSU, USC had the #2 best pass defense in the SEC (behind UF), and 8th-ranked in the nation overall. In 2010, the pass defense fell off due to lack of depth at LB to 10th in the conference and 97th overall, but rebounded in 2011 to 2nd in the SEC behind Bama and 2nd in the nation overall.
The glory days of relevant defenses at USC. They are on the way back, SEC.....
His Jr. and Sr. seasons he was moved back to defense as a LB and became one of the team's leaders his final two years, so good for him.
My understanding of the Davis/Tucker fiasco was that the staff used a system during those days when it came to recruiting, that the entire staff would sound off at coaches meetings, and have to approve unanimously of giving a kid a scholarship offer - regardless of whether that coach would ever coach the kid - before the offer was given. Now it could be my recollections are off and we started this system AFTER Cooper and because of the Tucker High fiasco, but I'm thinking it was already in place.
Apparently the new DC Ellis Johnson (he was also LB coach) didn't want Davis to be offered, but Cooper made the kid's family and HS coach some promises and offered him anyways. Then Davis attempted to commit to USC, when his offer hadn't even been approved by the DC, much less the rest of the staff. So not only would the staff not honor the commitment, but they then had to tell the kid and his HS coach that the offer was pulled. Things have since been reconciled between USC and Tucker High, even before Spurrier left as HC, so its all in the past now....
But Cooper is a very solid DBs coach: In his first year at USC On Lou Holtz' staff (it was Holtz' final year at USC) in 2004 he coached the secondary to the 14th-ranked pass defense in the nation, which was good enough for 5th in the SEC. When Spurrier took over in 2005, Cooper spent one year coaching the LBs and Special teams. Dave Wommack was hired initially by Spurrier to coach the secondary this season (USC would be 5th in the SEC in pass defense this season, and 22nd nationally).
Beginning in 2006 Cooper was back coaching the DBs and was promoted to Assistant Head Coach to allow him to have a multi-year contract and make more money. The first year back at the position, USC would drop to 8th in the SEC in pass defense, and 43rd overall. The position improved substantially however in 2007, as Cooper had the USC pass defense lead the SEC and was 4th-ranked nationally. In 2008 (Cooper's final year at USC) USC had the #2-ranked pass defense in the nation, which led the SEC once again.
There could be substance to what scrooster said about issues with Cooper wanting more money: in 2008 when Johnson replaced Tyrone Nix as DC, the defensive staff was shuffled a bit, and Cooper took over the safeties while Shane Beamer coached the CBs. Cooper also lost his Ast. HC title and became just a standard position coach. I'm sure he took a salary hit as well due to this.
I'm not sure how well Cooper fit with Johnson, and Johnson's idea of the hybrid Spur LB/S position. In 2009, after Cooper left for LSU, USC had the #2 best pass defense in the SEC (behind UF), and 8th-ranked in the nation overall. In 2010, the pass defense fell off due to lack of depth at LB to 10th in the conference and 97th overall, but rebounded in 2011 to 2nd in the SEC behind Bama and 2nd in the nation overall.
The glory days of relevant defenses at USC. They are on the way back, SEC.....
This post was edited on 2/2/17 at 4:59 pm
Page 2 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News