2024 ATH Sam Cooper Begins Building Bond With Cory Sanders and Pitt

Since becoming head coach at Pitt, Pat Narduzzi and his assistants have done a tremendous job of identifying and signing ‘diamond in the rough’ recruits that develop into top-level performers.

Jared Wayne, SirVocea Dennis, Habakkuk Baldonado, Damarri Mathis and Deslin Alexandre are just a few examples of players that fall into that category, had tremendous careers at Pitt and are now preparing to play in the NFL.

Earlier this week, the Pitt staff extended an offer to an in-state athlete that they hope develops into their next diamond in the rough.

Sam Cooper, a 2024 athlete from Conwell Egan Catholic from Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, received his second Power Five offer from Cory Sanders — to go along with his first one from Syracuse. Cooper currently plays running back, wide receiver and defensive back, but it appears as though safety could be his position in college.

Courtesy Sam Cooper

“Coach Cory was in contact with me last week and he wanted to catch up and really start to get to know each other,” said Cooper. “When he offered me, I was both excited and a little bit surprised. Coach Cory was telling me about how him and other coaches at Pitt really liked what they saw with my film. The conversation with him was great and he really made me feel like I was part of the Pitt family already.

“Coach told me that when he watched my film, he could tell that I was still so raw but very talented. I said that at times, he could tell that I wasn’t completely sure of what I was doing yet I was still making big plays. He said that he was so excited about the possibility to work with me and once he teaches me everything I need to know, that I can be a really good player. Although I play different positions in high school, I’m being told that with my speed and ability to come down and hit, my best position would be defense.”

Along with his offers from Pitt, Syracuse and UConn, Cooper is hearing from a number of schools that have been in contact and could be on the verge of offering him. While he’s excited and appreciative of the attention, none of that is going to change Cooper’s mindset.

Courtesy Sam Cooper

“Honestly, I’m just trying to remain humble through all of this,” said Cooper. “While I appreciate the offers, they really don’t mean anything yet. To me, it’s just motivation and reminds me that I still need to work harder and to prove to everyone that I deserved to get the offer in the first place. Thanks to hard work and help from my family I’ve gotten myself in this position, but I have to make sure that I finish. I can’t be satisfied with how I played last year, I need to play better next year.”

Other schools that are showing interest in this dynamic athlete are Boston College, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.

Junior season highlights – https://t.co/F9xpKfxdRy ⁦@CoachPwilli⁩ ⁦@PRZPAvic⁩ ⁦@EPAFootball⁩ ⁦@patgarwo⁩ ⁦@ArtisticMayhem1⁩ ⁦@cecfootball⁩ ⁦@EdOBrienCFB⁩ ⁦@PaFootballNews⁩ ⁦@RivalsFriedman⁩ @BrianDohn247 @mfarrrellsports

— Sam Cooper (@Sammycoop1230) November 8, 2022