Pharoh Cooper facts for kids
.jpg)
Cooper with the Carolina Panthers in 2020
|
|||||||||
| No. 10, 12, 16, 14, 83, 15 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver Return specialist |
||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 7, 1995 Havelock, North Carolina, U.S. |
||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Havelock | ||||||||
| College: | South Carolina (2013–2015) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Pharoh Cooper (born March 7, 1995) is an American former professional football player. He was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Later, he was chosen by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2016 NFL Draft. He also played for several other NFL teams during his career.
Contents
- Early Life and High School
- College Football Journey
- Playing in the NFL
- Starting with the Los Angeles Rams
- Time with the Arizona Cardinals (First Stint)
- Short Stint with the Cincinnati Bengals
- Back to the Arizona Cardinals (Second Stint)
- Playing for the Carolina Panthers
- With the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Joining the New York Giants
- Final Run with the Arizona Cardinals (Third Stint)
- Retirement from Football
Early Life and High School
Pharoh Cooper was born on March 7, 1995. His family has a strong history of serving in the military. His father, grandfather, and brother all served in the Marine Corps.
Pharoh went to Havelock High School in Havelock, North Carolina. He was a very versatile player in high school. He played many different positions, including quarterback, wide receiver, running back, and defensive back. Experts rated him as a four-star recruit, which means he was considered one of the top young players. He decided to play college football at the University of South Carolina.
College Football Journey
Pharoh Cooper played college football for the University of South Carolina. He started as a defensive back. But before his first season, he moved to wide receiver.
As a freshman, he played in 11 games. He had some catches and rushing yards. He even threw a few passes, completing two for a touchdown!
In 2014, during his sophomore year, Pharoh had an amazing game against Tennessee. He set a school record with 233 receiving yards in one game. He was also named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2014 Independence Bowl. In that game, he had nine catches for 170 yards and a touchdown.
For the 2014 season, he was named first-team All-SEC. This means he was one of the best players in his college conference. He had 69 catches for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 200 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Plus, he threw for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
As a junior in 2015, he continued to play well. He had 873 receiving yards and 111 rushing yards. He scored 9 total touchdowns that year. After his junior year, he decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft to play professional football.
Playing in the NFL
Pharoh Cooper began his professional football career in 2016.
Starting with the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams picked Pharoh Cooper in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the team. In his first year, he played in 10 games. He had 14 catches for 106 yards. He also helped the team by returning kicks and sometimes punts.
In 2017, Cooper became the Rams' main return specialist. In Week 6, he scored his first NFL touchdown! It was an exciting 103-yard kickoff return against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This amazing play earned him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. Later that year, on December 19, 2017, Cooper was chosen for the 2018 Pro Bowl as a return specialist. This is a huge honor for an NFL player.
In 2018, Cooper had an ankle injury in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve. He returned later in the season. On December 18, 2018, the Rams released him.
Time with the Arizona Cardinals (First Stint)
Right after being released by the Rams, the Arizona Cardinals claimed Pharoh Cooper. He played in two games for them in 2018. He returned six punts for 67 yards. The Cardinals released him on August 30, 2019.
Short Stint with the Cincinnati Bengals
On September 1, 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals picked up Cooper. He played in one game for them but did not have any catches or yards. He was released by the Bengals on September 17, 2019.
Back to the Arizona Cardinals (Second Stint)
On October 1, 2019, Pharoh Cooper was re-signed by the Arizona Cardinals. He played in 13 games for them that season. He had 25 catches for 243 yards and one touchdown. He also continued his role as a return specialist.
Playing for the Carolina Panthers
On March 20, 2020, Cooper signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. He played in all 16 games for the Panthers that season. He had 5 catches for 73 yards. He also returned kicks and punts for the team.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars
On June 3, 2021, Cooper signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he was released by the team on August 31, 2021, before the regular season began.
Joining the New York Giants
On November 3, 2021, Cooper joined the New York Giants practice squad. He was called up to play in several games that season. He played in 8 games for the Giants, catching 4 passes for 33 yards. He also handled kick and punt returns. His contract with the Giants ended after the 2021 season.
Final Run with the Arizona Cardinals (Third Stint)
On November 23, 2022, the Arizona Cardinals signed Cooper to their practice squad for a third time. He was later moved to the active roster on December 28, 2022. He played in 5 games for the Cardinals that season.
Retirement from Football
On June 10, 2024, Pharoh Cooper announced that he was retiring from professional football. He had a career that spanned several NFL teams and included a Pro Bowl selection.
