Published May 20, 2024
Four-star receiver Jalen Cooper on upcoming Kansas visit
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Jon Kirby  •  JayhawkSlant
Publisher- Football Editor
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@jayhawkslant

Four-star wide receiver Jalen Cooper is getting ready for official visits that started last weekend, and the Jayhawks will get one from him next month.

Cooper, a wide receiver from Cibolo Steele in Texas, has been building a bond with KU wide receivers coach Terry Samuel.

“Coach Samuel is a great guy,” Cooper said. “I can already tell how he attack and what he does. He attacks everything right. He does everything by the book, and he is a great coach.”

Samuel visited Steele High and watched Cooper practice.

“He came down to my practice and we had a chance to talk,” Cooper said. “He was telling me he could correct me on a couple things. You know, just all around a he’s a great guy when I’ve talked to him.”

The sales pitch has been how the Kansas program has turned around and appeared in two straight bowl games. Samuel told Cooper about the stadium renovations expected to be completed next year. And the depth chart could be favorable for a receiver going into the 2025 season.

“He said if I chose Kansas I would be playing in a new stadium,” Cooper said. “He told me about his situation with the receivers and how they have a lot of seniors. I can make an impact as soon as I come to campus and he's willing to teach me everything he knows.”

He will take his official visit to Kansas June 7, and wants to learn more about the program.

“I’m looking forward to talking with a lot of the coaches,” he said. “I have talked to the head coach a little bit and coach Samuel a lot. I’d like to talk with more of the coaches and see how the players work their regular days. That's pretty much what I'm really excited to see.”

Cooper took his first official visit last weekend to SMU. He said he is working on a May 31 visit to Kansas State and that will be followed by his trip to KU.

Baylor and Houston are set to get official visits to wrap up June.

“First of all, I am looking for a good education,” he said. “I can't play the sport that I want to play without education. That's always first. Just being comfortable at a school is important. I like playing in front of big crowds and I know Kansas is going to have a huge crowd with them doing good these past few seasons. I’m looking at the vibe around the players because if I'm going to go to a school for the next three to four years, I want to be comfortable with the people I am around.”

He wants to have a college decision made shortly after his official visits are completed.

“I'm most likely going to make my decision probably like early July, maybe mid-July, right before the season starts,” Cooper said.