South Carolina Gamecocks 2015 Position Preview: Wide Receivers

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Pharoh Cooper

If you don’t know who Pharoh Cooper is, you’ve probably been living under a rock. Cooper has become a household name to Gamecocks, and the do it all player is gearing up for a big junior year.

Pharoh Cooper did not step onto campus one of the highest ranked players or even one of the most highly sought after players. He was a 3-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite, and chose the Gamecocks over offers from North Carolina, NC State, and East Carolina.

In 2013, Cooper was named to the Freshman All-SEC team after recording 655 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 202 yards, had 54 yards receiving, had 40 yards on punt returns, and 359 yards on kick returns. As if that wasn’t enough for a freshman, he completed 2 of 3 passes for 29 yards, 1 of which was a touchdown to Brandon Wilds against Clemson to seal the game. He was also given partial credit for the great increase in high fives in Columbia over the next year.

In 2014, Cooper had a break out year at wide receiver with 72 receptions for 1136 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. He also manned the quarterback position in the Wildcat formation rushing for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns and completing 5 of 8 passes for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also tacked on 15 punt returns for 75 yards, just for good measure.

These accomplishments garnered much respect for Cooper. He was named First Team All-SEC as a wide receiver and Second Team All-SEC as an all-purpose player by the AP and SEC coaches at the end of the 2014 season.

Cooper has received many accolades during the preseason. He will be looked at to continue his success from the past two seasons while becoming a leader for the younger players on offense.