The college football season in Texas starts a week earlier than normal with a Week 0 matchup between North Texas and UTEP. To celebrate us making it through another off-season, we’re counting down the 50 most important players in Texas every day until Aug. 27. The list isn’t necessarily about which players are the best, though talent plays a major factor in most important.

No. 32: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M sophomore linebacker 

The History

Cooper was a four-star recruit out of Covington High School in Louisiana who signed with the Aggies during the 2020 recruiting cycle. He played in 10 games as a true freshman, mainly on special teams, but was able to keep his freshman status heading into 2021 because of the eligibility-free season of 2020. Cooper started in one of the 12 games he played in last season. He finished fourth on the team with 58 tackles. He was named Defensive Most Improved and Defensive Aggie Award for strength and conditioning at the annual team banquet. 

The Skillset 

The 6-3, 220-pound Cooper is a thumper who can play the run inside the box as well as any third-year linebacker in the state. He’ll only be better as a sophomore since he’s likely added weight to his frame. Cooper is an athletic linebacker who can get sideline-to-sideline and isn’t a liability in space against the pass. He’ll need to prove his durability with an increased role in 2022 because playing the gauntlet of SEC offensive lines isn’t easy, but there aren’t many linebackers in the country with as much upside as Cooper.

The Impact 

Texas A&M lost most of its defensive production from the front seven of the 2021 defense, including linebacker Aaron Hansford, who led A&M in 2021 with 89 tackles. Cooper and fellow linebacker Andrew White Jr. will pair up to patrol the middle of a Wrecking Crew defense that must replace its entire defensive line. And while those new faces are incredibly talented, Cooper must be a stabilizing force and play the role as leader despite relative inexperience as a starter. Cooper played a lot of meaningful football in 2021, and that experience should pay off in 2022.  

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