Four-Star WSU Quarterback Commit Cammon Cooper Excited For Elite 11 Finals
Three days into the Elite 11 finals this past weekend Cammon Cooper didn't see his name on the list of finalists.
Fresh off his commitment to Washington State, the 2018 four-star quarterback from Lehi High School (Lehi, Utah) was determined to become the first QB from the state of Utah to make the cut.
"I think my best day obviously was the 7on7," Cooper said, reflecting on his experience in Southern California. "After seeing my name not on the second list really made me step it up and lock me spot back in."
Cooper, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound southpaw, did just that and earned his invite Monday to the Elite 11 Finals and TheOpening, hosted at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon each summer.
"It was a dream come true," Cooper said. "Being - I think - the first QB ever out of the state of Utah was really special. I'm excited to just continue to compete with the best and show I belong at the top."
Not only is Cooper the first Utah recruit to make the finals, it marks the first time Mike Leach has landed an Elite 11 quarterback during his five seasons at WSU.
Earlier this spring Cooper visited Pullman, Washington, with his family to see the campus and spend time with the Cougars head coach. The visit went a long way in securing his commitment to WSU, and brought with it an anecdotal tale of Leach and his quarterbacks.
Cooper spent time with current starting QB Luke Falk during his visit to the Palouse, who told the four-star recruit a tale of a team meeting only Leach would call.
"Luke told me a story how he [Leach] pulled them into a team meeting just to talk about grizzly bears," Cooper said laughing. He added, "it'll be good to have someone like that coaching me though. It'll keep it fun."
The No.13 pro-style QB in the class of 2018 per Rivals' rankings picked WSU over offers from Arizona State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and several other Power-Five schools.
After finishing 8-5 overall in 2016 (7-2 in conference) and returning a strong supporting cast on offense, Cooper felt the Cougars building something special and wanted to be a catalyst in building the program moving forward.
"They've had [like] the most Pac-12 wins the past two years out of anybody," Cooper said, when asked what made him sold on WSU. "Coach Leach is finally getting his kind of guys and people are starting to realize what kind of a place it is. They are doing special things up there."