Khiry Cooper Officially A Husker
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August 17, 2008 by
The baseball signing deadline passed, and Khiry Cooper did not sign a contract. He's officially a Husker. News out of the LA Times condensed it into such a simple paragraph: The Angels were unable to sign two of their top five selections from the June draft before Friday night's deadline, losing high school outfielders Zach Cone, from Stone Mountain, Ga., and Khiry Cooper, from Bossier City, La. According to the Omaha World Herald, Cooper is planning to play both football and baseball at Nebraska.
Obviously this is good news on the front of not losing someone you offered a scholarship. It won't be a recruiting gap or hole that has to be filled. In addition, Cooper should bring even more positive exposure to the baseball team as well. They're not suffering for face time, but when football players play other sports at Nebraska, fan attendance appears to jump a little bit. I have no evidence to back this up other than I went to other sports events at Nebraska to watch a football player before, and I doubt I'm the only one thinking that way.
Looking over wide receiver roster and extrapolating out a couple of years, it's simple to see why it was so important for him to stay with the Huskers. The breakdown is like this:
| Seniors | 2 |
| Juniors | 3 |
| Sophomores | 3 |
| Redshirt Freshmen | 2 |
| Freshmen | 6 |
He is likely going to be an anchor to a very powerful receiving corp in two years. We're losing some valuable experience at the WR position after the end of this season and players will have to step up. They do that by being pushed by the younger guys for their spot.
His opportunities by sticking with Nebraska will be much better over the long haul. By playing two sports, he can increase his chances of getting a real serious signing bonus after some valuable years of experience on the field. What he was being offered by the Angels was 6 figures and would have been a life changing amount of money to many people, but it is more than that. First of all, the education is critical in preparing for many of the tests that a player faces when in professional sports. It's hard to put a price on how much learning is worth. It's also hard to put a price on accountability. According to Bo Pelini, Cooper gave his word that he was going to stay with Nebraska. That shows character - another reason I'm buying into Pelini's recruiting more and more.
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Greg Morrow Aug 17 08
Hopefully, he'll develop as a player and be a big performer. Then we'll see when the Big Leagues come calling again, after his junior season.
So far though, as a person, he hits it "out da park!" He'd have been fully entitled to get his full time baseball career going. Obviously, the Angles GM is perplexed, since he matched the family's price.
Just as obviously, this kid has a bigger vision.
He may not develop. Not all receivers do, even before this WCO trip. His clips are good, but he's not exactly Bobby Newcombe, bursting up field. And that's O.K. But he's a nice indicator of the type and charactor Bo and Co. are going after.
That, I like.