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Juwan Tucker watched Narbonne (California) High School’s receivers run rep after rep in practice.

Cedric Byrd, Jamal Hicks and Vincent Heard, who all ended up at Power 5 schools, executed routes as they practiced in the Gauchos spread offense. Then Devaughn Cooper, a senior receiver and kick returner stepped up. Tucker watched Cooper stutter-step out of his stance, breaking past his defender within three steps. His “really strong hands” easily grabbed the pass, and Cooper glided to the end zone.

Tucker knew he had to replicate Cooper’s game. Tucker noted what Cooper did in practice, working on the same things with Narbonne’s receiver’s coach individually after practice.

Cooper entered his sixth season this year after transferring to Syracuse as a walk-on in 2021. Once an SU recruit, Cooper chose Arizona before transferring to Texas-El Paso for two seasons. But finally, over 2,300 miles from home, he’s using breakaway speed, quick hands and stellar route running to establish himself as a potent threat for Syracuse after earning a scholarship in just two weeks last year.

Cooper joined a talented group of upperclassmen at Arizona, including Cayleb Jones and David Richards, both future NFL players. But he impressed then-head coach Rich Rodriguez to earn a spot as the fourth receiver, cycling in when someone got tired. Arizona receivers coach Theron Aych called Cooper a “pure receiver” with “big play potential” for the Wildcats.

Aych noticed how seamlessly Cooper tracked the ball in the air when executing his route. Few receivers on the team could do that at the time, but Cooper arrived at UA off a senior year where he caught 67 passes for 1,280 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Wildcats ran an RPO-spread offense led by quarterback Khalil Tate, who’s running ability opened up the passing game, former teammate Shun Brown said. In his first season under Rodriguez, Cooper became a player Aych depended on at the hash marks. Then, Cooper moved inside under new head coach Kevin Sumlin, acting in a similar role to the one at Syracuse.

Emily Steinberger | Senior Staff Photographer

UTEP receivers coach Scotty O’hara said Cooper possessed an innate ability to beat cornerbacks, using his web-like hands to bring the ball in at any angle. But moving to the slot position, Cooper had to work through linebackers and safeties, sometimes blocking a guy inside to make space.

“The success he had there, it really didn’t surprise us,” Aych said.

At least that was the plan for Cooper. Instead, he missed nine games due to injury and left the team briefly. He returned at the bottom of the depth chart, and Cooper only garnered 18 receptions for 368 yards in 2018. The following May, the team dismissed him for an undisclosed “violation of athletic department policy.”

A defensive coach for UTEP heard that Cooper was looking for a new team and passed along a contact to head coach Dana Dimel and O’hara. Cooper wanted to ensure he landed at the right place, and didn’t commit to UTEP until the first week of 2019’s fall camp.

“He’s just a smooth route runner,” O’hara said. “He’s probably your prototypical slot guy, if you’re talking especially like next level (route running).”

Cooper, who once competed for the No. 1 job at Arizona, garnered 10 catches for 147 yards in his first season at UTEP. O’hara remembered Cooper’s first practice, when he lined up for a go-route on the far side of the field. Cooper hardly knew the new offense, one that mostly incorporated four wide outs. As Cooper took off, he juked one of UTEP’s top corners, faking him so hard that Cooper simply had to sprint straight down for a wide open catch.

“He’s sure one of the stars on the team, (did) some crazy stuff,” Tucker said. “I was always excited to watch him. He was always making spectacular plays.”

But in that fourth game, Cooper went down with an injury again, this time a season-ending shoulder injury. During Cooper’s injury at Arizona, Aych said Cooper stood next to him every practice. He knew he wouldn’t return and win the starting job on pure physical talent. It’d gotten him this far, but wouldn’t elevate him up the depth chart.

O’hara said a similar trend occurred at UTEP. Cooper returned in 2020, destined to play a full season for just the second time in five years. Already a redshirt senior, he’d seen too many players with his speed and route running ability overtake him. UTEP only had a few in-person spring practices in 2020, so Cooper regained his position mainly through Zoom meetings, something O’hara said was hard for Cooper’s focus.

Emily Steinberger | Senior Staff Photographer

He studied how to train his eyes when charting the ball out of the quarterback’s hand and how to quickly get away from a cornerback before five yards. On an inside receiver fade during a blowout at Louisiana-Monroe, Cooper nabbed a 38-yard reception, his longest of the season.

Cooper finished his fifth collegiate season with the Miners and entered the transfer portal once again. Prior to the 2022 season, Cooper called the transfer portal “hectic,” adding there were several schools recruiting him before ultimately backing away. He returned to a familiar face, one that recruited him in high school when he was Narbonne’s main guy.

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers told Cooper he’d have to work for a scholarship, so Cooper signed in spring 2021 as a walk-on. Then in the fall, Babers gave him a scholarship.

“It meant a lot,” Cooper said. “I got a lot of doubters. So it just meant a lot.”

When Cooper came in, quarterback Garrett Shrader noticed that he was somewhat out of shape. Cooper wasn’t sure how, but Shrader knew his speed and pass-catching abilities. Shrader told Cooper he knew he could do better. Cooper appeared in 11 games as a receiver and on special teams, grabbing at least one reception in all but two of those games for a total of 199 yards.

Now Cooper is the starting slot receiver and occasional outside option for a pass-heavy Robert Anae offense. He’s still stutter-stepping out of his stance, using the spin moves he applied on California corners on ACC defenders. Shrader leans on him as a receiving threat across the middle, and Cooper wants to become the best slot receiver in the ACC.

“He is consistently good,” Babers said. “He was on scholarship at two different places, but he did not come here on a scholarship … and he’s been steady and mature ever since.”

Published on September 22, 2022 at 1:33 am

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt