Pharoh Cooper ranked 25 on 107.5 The Game's top 30 countdown
107.5 The Game continues their countdown of the top 30 South Carolina football players in the past 30 years. Following number 26 Sheldon Brown, former wide receiver Pharoh Cooper comes in at number 25.
A player characterized by his versatility, Cooper’s career- both college and professional- is slightly unconventional. As a part of the tail-end of the Spurrier era, he put together two standout seasons that etched his name in South Carolina football record books.
A native of Havelock, NC, Cooper was not a massive prospect out of high school. He chose South Carolina over UNC and NC State. Having played on both sides of the ball in high school, Cooper was originally brought in as a cornerback. Shortly after arriving in Columbia he was moved primarily to the offense. He saw minimal action as a freshman from a receiving standpoint, appearing in nine games with just three receptions for 54 yards. He primarily worked punt and kick returns, totaling 400 yards.
In 2014, Cooper had one of the most dominant seasons by a wide receiver in South Carolina football history. Against Tennessee, he completed 11 catches for 233 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This still stands as the school record for most receiving yards in a single game. Cooper ended the season with 1,136 receiving yards. One of only five 1,000+ yard seasons in school history. That also ranks third all time in South Carolina football history for receiving yards in a season. Cooper went on to put together a solid performance in the 2015 season; the third and final of his college career. He was named All-SEC in both 2014 and 2015.
Cooper’s stats during his time at South Carolina speak to the range of ability he possessed. Between 2014 and 2015 he had nine games with over 100 receiving yards. In his time as a Gamecock, Cooper had 135 receptions for 2,109 yards as well as 51 rushing attempts for 311 yards. It is also worth noting that he totaled 118 passing yards during his time in the Garnet and Black. Cooper is in the top 10 for most receiving yards in school history but blows the rest of the top 10 out of the water in terms of rushing. He has over 300 more rushing yards than the next closest receiver.
Cooper was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. In 2017, he was named First-Team All-Pro for his work as a returner. He spent three seasons with the Rams before bouncing around various teams such as the Cardinals, the Bengals, and the Panthers. Cooper signed with the New York Giants earlier this month.
