Sometimes a visit can change everything.
Cade Cooper had never been to Baton Rouge. The Pennsylvania native had eyes on Ole Miss as his recruitment wound down. The Rebels offered following the wide receiver’s standout junior season, and he felt that was his likely college destination.
“I had known (wide receivers coach) Coach LD (L’Damian Washington). Ole Miss was one of the earlier schools to offer me after my junior season,” Cooper said. “And I just felt like I got a chance to build a relationship. I had been down there three times, and I kind of knew that they were replicating what the Ole Miss had. Pete Golding and all the coaches and some of the coaches who stayed on staff. So, I always thought they had the potential to be just as good as they were last year.”
The Rebels were a College Football Playoff semifinalist last season, but the offensive brain trust of Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. left for LSU. They, along with former Rebel wide receivers coach George McDonald who is also in Baton Rouge, lured Cooper for a visit and changed his perspective.
“I really think that Coach McDonald and Coach Kiffin made a great deal of kind of just laying out the facts with me,” Cooper said. “They made sure that I knew that, you know, all the success that Ole Miss had had came from them. And I think when you take a step back and you compare and you realize that these are the guys who made them great. I think it opens your eyes to a lot of things.”
Cooper committed to LSU the day after the visit.
The visit included a hot yoga class with Kiffin and McDonald. Pickleball followed. The normal position coach meetings, financial discussions and campus tour were included as Cooper got the full LSU treatment in a short weekend.
“We got a chance to see the campus, and the campus is very beautiful,” Cooper said. “Like, it caught me off guard because I didn’t know what to expect… They took my family and I through a course of staff meetings and meeting all the staff and you can see a consistency and energy and competitiveness and then like genuine love for the staff. So, I definitely think Baton Rouge made a great impression on me.”
So did the football.
Rivals considers Cooper a top 10 receiver in the class of 2027. He’s already 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds. He received interest from Notre Dame, Penn State and Auburn in addition to Ole Miss and LSU.
“They definitely said I fit the offense well,” Cooper said. “They’re a fast-paced offense with receivers like Tre Harris and some of those Ole Miss receivers who came through. They’re big body receivers who like to take shots. And I think I’m a I’m a player who favors the fade ball and the contested catch, deep plays, and I think that they definitely think I fit that that role to be able to go make plays and definitely move the ball down the field.”
LSU added nine transfer receivers this offseason and three more in the freshman class. It’s a crowded position group full of diverse skillsets and talents. Cooper is aiming to play early at LSU but understands the dynamics of the roster.
He will enroll in January to start competing.
“They’re a staff that is not scared to play anyone early, but obviously the reality is that that we’re all going to have to work hard if we want to get a chance on the field,” Cooper said. “So, nothing is going to be given to me. I’m going to have to work just as hard as everyone else on that on that field. So, I think I’m definitely excited to be able to be pushed against some of the best DBs and some of the best receivers in the nation.”
