Jump to content

2021 Terrence Cooks II


Mdhorn

Recommended Posts

https://insidetexas.com/recruiting-ut-adds-terrence-cooks-to-c-o-2021/

By: IT staff

The defensive side of the ball has been kind to Texas’ Class of 2021 this cycle. Well, it just got even better. 

Alvin Shadow Creek four-star linebacker Terrence Cooks II committed to Texas today over LSU, Georgia, and Baylor. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound inside backer announced his decision in front of family and friends today. 

UT has been the silent leader for most of the year, especially after his unofficial visit to Austin in January. His and his family’s relationship with LB coach Coleman Hutzler, combined with the academics and tradition of Texas Football, seemed to close the deal. 

Excerpt from the Recruiting Notebook: 

Terrence Cooks, Shadow Creek (Alvin, TX) – LB (2021)
Hudl/highlights

How he fits at Texas: Cooks could project to any linebacker position but he plays with recognition and power downhill that would make inside linebacker his most valuable place for Texas. Shadow Creek plays a three-down defense similar to the Todd Orlando scheme and Cooks was an outside linebacker in that system, playing in space at times and up on the edge at others. He’s very comfortable moving laterally and playing in coverage and brings some thunder when he closes downhill. There’s a good chance he could grow into a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker that still moves well enough to stay on the field against the spread. – Ian Boyd

Coach says
Strengths – Well proportioned and tall with long arms. Plenty of room for bulk. A long-strider with impressive straight line speed. Feet are constantly active and he fires them quickly to establish directional change and to anchor for leverage. Looks very comfortable in space as a zone defender and coming downhill. Good gap discipline and does a nice job of fitting, squaring up and making a play. Solid hitter in the run game. Looks very instinctive at the line of scrimmage. Great hustle plays on tape and never gives up on a play. Frequently swats at the ball (think Derrick Johnson) which could result in quite a few turnovers. A big special teams contributor on both punt block and kickoff coverage teams with some solid highlights for both. Very hard to find opponent film that makes him look bad.

Areas for Improvement / Concern: Hardly any man-to-man coverage highlights. Change of direction appears to show a sharp loss of speed and slow acceleration/recovery on camp highlights in 1-on-1 coverage. Pass rush repertoire appears a bit raw.

How this affects Texas: When UT offered last November, they were one of the first schools to really pursue the 5A DI state champion linebacker. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, the four-star with 35 offers is a natural inside backer with instincts and skills that translate well at the next level. Texas, OU, and Texas A&M are probably the top schools today, but watch Stanford. He visited Austin back in January, bringing his mother and little brother, Tyler, who will also be a top recruit in a few years. That was huge. His mom is a big fan of Texas, the staff, and the academic side of the university. He’s in no hurry to make a decision, but I think the Horns have the inside track. This kid can play inside or outside for his position, and that is truly difficult to find these days. Staying the course could pay big dividends for UT over the long haul. – Justin Wells (May 2020)

Terrence Cooks in Austin. (Will Gallagher/IT)

Terrence Cooks has some Malik Jefferson to him. That statement will solicit different responses but Jefferson undeniably had significant upside and had a very good junior year.

Like Jefferson, Cooks has a great frame that will comfortably carry 20-25 more pounds. The more comfortable a player carries weight, the more he keeps his movement skills as he grows. Jefferson was catching running backs from behind at 240 pounds. Cooks will have similar ability. He’s uncommonly athletic for the traditional linebacker role. Increasingly, you have to spin a safety down to get the kind of raw athleticism Cooks possesses.

They’re also cerebral, coachable kids, but not the quickest to diagnose. This is where coaching comes in. Cooks will have an advantage in this regard if Coleman Hutzler’s work with DeMarvion Overshown is any indication.

Both have clear ability off the edge, though like Jefferson, Cooks will play inside. He should be an explosive blitzer, not unlike Joseph Ossai and Overshown showed from the middle against West Virginia recently.

Range won’t be a concern, and with good coaching he’ll hold his own between the tackles. Inside Texas has been high on Cooks since the spring. We view him as a top-15 type prospect in the state.

This is a huge development for Hutzler who is showing high aptitude for both recruiting and coaching. – Eric Nahlin

Cooks is the 18th member of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class joining Max Merril (Strake Jesuit – Houston), Charles Wright (Austin High), Jaden Alexis (Monarch – FL), Mike Myslinski (Bishop Kenny – FL), Gunnar Helm (Cherry Creek – CO), Jamier Johnson (John Muir – CA), Ishamel Ibraheem (Dallas Kimball), JD Coffey (Kennedale), Isaac Pearson (ProKick Australia), Casey Cain (Warren Easton – LA), Jonathon Brooks (Hallettsville), Morice Blackwell (Arlington Martin), Jordon Thomas (Port Arthur Memorial), Ja’Tavion Sanders (Denton Ryan), Derrick Harris Jr. (New Caney), Juan Davis (Everman), Hayden Conner (Katy Taylor).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://texas.thefootballbrainiacs.com/2020/11/hook-em-terrence-cooks-commits-to-texas/

Texas is back on the board with a much needed commitment from 2021 Shadow Creek LB Terrence Cooks.

TWEWET

A composite four-star prospect, Cooks becomes the third linebacker in the class of 2021, joining Morice Blackwell and Derrick Harris Jr. Cooks is now the 18th commit in a class that has seen some crazy days over the last few weeks.

Texas had been in a very strong spot for Cooks for basically all of 2020. Cooks visited the program back in February for the Elite Day and I believe that’s where the Longhorns took poll position in this recruitment. Here’s what he told me at the time of his visit:

Cooks even said right off the bat, he wasn’t very familiar with the Longhorns until this weekend, yet he went as far to say he “fell in love with Texas” following the visit. Obviously, it helps having Cooks’ former HS teammate and early enrollee Xavion Alford now on campus. The two are very close and have been playing together since middle school days. Cooks shared a trust in Alford that should definitely bode well for the Longhorns down the road in this recruitment.

The Longhorns did a great job fending off LSU who made a strong push for Cooks over the summer.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.burntorangenation.com/2020/11/14/21564807/terrence-cooks-recruiting-texas-longhorns-shadow-creek

The Texas Longhorns were in dire need of some good news on the recruiting trail, which came on Saturday as Shadow Creek (Pearland) linebacker Terrence Cooks announced his commitment to the Longhorns. 

INSERT TWEET

Cooks, a four-star linebacker for the defending state champions, was a needed addition for the Longhorns, with the lack of depth at the linebacker position currently. Texas was the just the fourth school - and the first in the state of Texas - to offer Cooks, which proved beneficial throughout the process. 

He was seen as a Texas lean throughout most of his recruitment, but a late offer from the LSU Tigers added additional drama to the process. Cooks picked Texas from a final group that included the Texas A&M Aggies, Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners.

The No. 302 player overall and the No. 46 player in the state of Texas, Cooks becomes the second linebacker in the 2021 group, joining Morice Blackwell in the class. 

Analysis ( By: Daniel Seahorn)

At 6’2, 210 pounds Cooks is an athletic, high effort player who shows the ability to play both on and off the ball at linebacker. Cooks’ athleticism is one of the first thing that jumps out at you on his tape, as he shows off in pursuit that he can really run and that he is comfortable playing in space. Cooks plays off the ball quite a bit on tape and he shows the ability get into coverage drops down the field as well as being up stick with his assignments in man. With Cooks heading to the Big 12, his potential to be able to stay on the field on all three downs increases his value within the defense and raises his overall ceiling as a player. When lined up on the LOS, Cooks shows he can be handful for opposing tight ends to block on the edge, as he uses his hands well to defeat blocks and disrupt plays. Cooks is solid, wrap up tackler who does a good job of wrangling ball carriers and getting them to the turf. Does a solid job of getting down hill and taking on blockers but will run around blocks from time to time. As mentioned earlier, Cooks plays with good effort from snap to snap and displays a good motor on tape. Consistently shows he will not give up on plays and is shown tracking down ball carriers several times way down the field on explosive plays. Gives great effort on special teams and has been able to get his hands on several punts when asked to go after the punter. That kind of effort will endear him to his coaches and teammates, and it would not surprise me if he is able to carve out a role running down on kicks early in his collegiate career. 

Demarvion Overshown’s development over the course of the season has been one of the most encouraging storylines for me and leads me to believe that Coleman Hutzler has his position group trending in the right direction and that a guy like Cooks and Morice Blackwell will be maximized once they hit campus. Hutzler has done a really good job during his short time on campus and it is showing up both on and off the field for the Longhorns.

http://www.hudl.com/v/2C5dAK

 

Edited by Mdhorn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, TexMexBuddha said:

Props to this man for getting a position of need headed in the right direction.

https://theathletic.com/1682941/2020/03/18/texas-longhorns-football-new-staff-coleman-hutzler-fix-defense/

Hook'em!

in the comments and has been updated but doesn't include Cooks: https://247sports.com/Coach/Coleman-Hutzler-1924/AllTimeRecruits/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/2179329e-73d8-306f-91eb-7127b6029700/longhorns-add-key-defensive.html

Jason Suchomel • Orangebloods
Senior Editor
 

It’s been a while since the Texas Longhorns have added a defensive prospect to their 2021 recruiting class – more than four months – but that changed in a big way on Saturday afternoon when linebacker 

Terrence Cooks announced that he had committed to Texas. One of the Longhorns’ top recruiting targets in the 2021 cycle, Cooks chose Texas over a group of finalists that included LSU, Georgia and Baylor. 

 

Texas linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler had developed a strong relationship with Cooks and his family over the course of Cooks’ recruitment, and those efforts paid off on Saturday with Texas’ third linebacker commitment in the class.

“He’s such a charismatic person. Once you get to know him, you can’t help but to like him,” Cooks said of Hutzler. “Unlike some people, he actually made a connection with my parents. He wasn’t trying to do it just because of football, it’s like everything was natural for him. If that’s how he was in real life – let’s say I wasn’t a recruit, he would still try to be cool with us. It just felt like family.”

Texas was always believed to be the leader for Cooks going back to the spring, but the talented linebacker continued to weigh his options despite it looking like he might be ready to commit a few times earlier this year. He did take a late-summer visit to LSU and the Tigers gained some momentum after that trip, but in the end Cooks stuck with his gut and the Longhorns won out.

At 6-3 and 208 pounds, Cooks is a rangy linebacker who thrives at making plays in space for a talented Shadow Creek team. He showcased those talents in the spring at a Rivals camp, where he took home linebacker MVP honors.

“He can line up in various spots in either a three- or four-man front and act as an edge-defender or sit back as a traditional stand-up linebacker. Cooks is explosive off the ball with excellent burst off the line and speed to cause havoc on a given play,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “While he is not always reactive, Cooks makes up for it with an elite blend of speed and power in pursuit, which opens the door for a ton of splash plays behind the line of scrimmage.”

A three-star prospect, Cooks becomes the Longhorns’ 18th commitment. He’s the No. 65-ranked player in the state and joins Derrick Harris and Morice Blackwell as linebackers in the class. Texas’ 2021 class currently ranks No. 18 in the Rivals.com team rankings.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • 10 months later...
22 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I know he's a frosh, but if he can't see the field, do we GAF?

Yes. Even if you ignore the very real problem of the defense clearly not playing it's best 11 - we should GAF because the only way to break the cycle of not having depth is to keep the talented young players and develop them. 

Or you could also think we should GAF by looking at the current depth chart at the SLB spot  - Ovie, Ben Davis, Cooks.  

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to dismiss this by saying anyone too bad to see the field at that position this year, with who is actually playing, will not be missed..  FR or not. Yet considering how fucking inept our defensive coaching staff has been (especially with personnel usage) I am definitely not going to automatically assume fault is with the player.

Sounds like he might be headed to Ole Miss to join Hutzler. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, HateYouAndMyself said:

I want to dismiss this by saying anyone too bad to see the field at that position this year, with who is actually playing, will not be missed..  FR or not. Yet considering how fucking inept our defensive coaching staff has been (especially with personnel usage) I am definitely not going to automatically assume fault is with the player.

Sounds like he might be headed to Ole Miss to join Hutzler. 

they have been throwing a lot of players into the mix.. he's a true freshman, he is seeing Ford, Ghenda, and even Tilman get more PT.  I'm sure Huzler has been in contact with him for a while now.  Cooks isn't making or breaking this LB room currently as constructed.

 

Good luck young man

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Blackcat00 said:

There are guys in the 2022 class coming in more skilled. Is what it is. 

I'd like to believe that as well, but the reality is that this guy was a typical freshman. He came in needing some time in development. He wasn't ready for PT. Some of the guys in the locker room were talking about their NIL money and this dude, along with others, has realized that he ain't getting any NIL money, so what the fuck is he sticking around for? There's a shot UH is willing to guarantee NIL money if he goes there. 

Here's a classic case of how the hands off shit from Sarkisian and company is counterproductive to their own interests. They've had the bejeezus scared out of them by Plonsky and CDC around doing anything that could even vaguely be considered a grey area for NIL and recruiting, and to all of them and their stupid fucking interpretation, that means not indicating whatsoever in any form which players are transfer risks that they want to keep, and which ones they don't. Who is getting a lot and who is getting a little or nothing? Good luck fucking guessing, asshole. 

So if you've got access to capital that can be deployed for NIL, and you ask "hey, besides Worthy and Robinson, give me some guys that could use some dough" a few weeks ago, they would have told you "can't help you, good luck figuring it out", which is exactly what they did when one of the entities I work with actually did so. They didn't want to lose this guy. Folks could have helped. They're fucking idiots for thinking that any other program would worry about having a conversation over coffee with someone and speaking in vague but obvious ways about who to help and who to not. 

In a dose of irony, this experience also now highlights the other problem with "mum" being the fucking word. Now, with Cooks being a key example, how in the fuck is anyone going to feel confident giving anyone money? What if you give Cooks some NIL dough on Monday and on Wednesday he portals anyway? That's always a risk, but with the staff being idiotically silent, it absolutely heightens that risk in unnecessary ways. So, the problem of money being all dressed up and not having anywhere to go is getting taken care of by this staff via unintentionally driving interested parties away from being supportive.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Blackcat00 said:

There are guys in the 2022 class coming in more skilled. Is what it is. 

Trevell Johnson and Eoghan Kerry? I'd take Cooks over either of them any day of the week - esp a 2nd year in the system Cooks.  Johnson's hip injury makes his future status murky at best. As it stands now the SAM depth chart is Ovie and Ben Davis. Cooks was the next man up and now he's gone.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, golfclap said:

Trevell Johnson and Eoghan Kerry? I'd take Cooks over either of them any day of the week - esp a 2nd year in the system Cooks.  Johnson's hip injury makes his future status murky at best. As it stands now the SAM depth chart is Ovie and Ben Davis. Cooks was the next man up and now he's gone.

 

 

This. We "fought" LSU off for this guy, he's got solid potential, but now we'll never see it here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, golfclap said:

Trevell Johnson and Eoghan Kerry? I'd take Cooks over either of them any day of the week - esp a 2nd year in the system Cooks.  Johnson's hip injury makes his future status murky at best. As it stands now the SAM depth chart is Ovie and Ben Davis. Cooks was the next man up and now he's gone.

 

 

I really like Kerry FWIW.. so he probably doesn't come here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We really gonna throw nil money at an unproven frosh.  This isn’t X worthy frosh talent this is a small freshman that wouldn’t see the field for a year or so.  He’s just another. Boohoo I’m not playing as a freshman cry baby who doesn’t wanna put in the work to earn his spot. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Sgt Hulk said:

We really gonna throw nil money at an unproven frosh.  This isn’t X worthy frosh talent this is a small freshman that wouldn’t see the field for a year or so.  He’s just another. Boohoo I’m not playing as a freshman cry baby who doesn’t wanna put in the work to earn his spot. 

If you want to reel in the big fish, then yes, you have to throw money at unproven freshmen. Otherwise they'll go somewhere that will pay them, like Georgia, A&M, Clemson...

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...