Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 28 Anez Cooper
No. 50 Miami DT Thomas Gore … No. 49 Malik Curtis … No. 48 Kaleb Spencer … No. 47 Ahmad Moten … No. 46 Jaden Harris … No. 45 Logan Sagapolu … No. 44 Markeith Williams … No. 43 Frank Ladson … No. 42 Chris Graves … No. 41 Keontra Smith … No. 40 Robby Washington … No. 39 Emory Williams … No. 38 Jacurri Brown … No. 37 Brashard Smith … No. 36 Terry Roberts … No. 35 Samson Okunlola … No. 34 Dylan Joyce … No. 33 Jared Harrison-Hunte … No. 32 Jaleel Skinner … No. 31 Corey Flagg … No. 30 Ray Ray Joseph … No. 29 Don Chaney
CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 28, Anez Cooper.
NO. 28 MIAMI OL ANEZ COOPER
Why he’s No. 28
Anez Cooper was recruited for offensive as well as defensive line by various programs out of high school (a 3-star from Pleasant Grove, Ala.), and the Miami Hurricanes viewed him as a future star on the offensive side. But perhaps UM didn’t envision him starting right away in Year 1. But that’s what came about due to injuries up front – Cooper started four of the final five games at right guard. Cooper held his own for the most part but he didn’t grade out particularly well (59.9 percent overall per Pro Football Focus, 60.5 as a pass blocker and 64.4 as a run blocker with 70 considered a good grade). This spring, with Jalen Rivers working at tackle (Rivers was starting at guard last year prior to injury), it was Cooper remaining with the first team at right guard opposite LG transfer arrival Javion Cohen.
What he needs to do to move up this list
Cooper has sky-high potential after getting his first work as a true freshman, but it’s not a sure thing that he’ll again start on the offensive line. He’ll have to prove himself all over again in fall camp with Rivers healthy, OT Zion Nelson looking to be back at tackle and a bunch of new arrivals pushing to start – Cohen at LG, Matt Lee at center along with 5-star signees Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. So the first task is earning that starting job. And then it’s going to be performing at a consistently high level with physicality. Cooper has a bright future and his playing level jump from Year 1 to Year 2 should be considerable. So that bodes well. It’s also worth mentioning that he arrived at Miami weighing 375 pounds and was at 348 this spring. So he still has room to slim down a bit and get quicker.
Realistic season objective
The goal for Cooper and this offensive line is to have a lot different results than a year ago when the Miami run game ranked No. 95 in the nation (128.1 rush yards per game) and the team was No. 108 in the nation in sacks allowed (3.0 per game). We think Cooper has a good chance to start at RG but it’s far from certain. A lot will depend on how he performs in fall camp as well as how the 5-star freshmen look … and if Zion Nelson is healthy. Our best guess is that Cooper does remain a starter, with Rivers the guy who can provide depth across the board from center to right tackle. We just aren’t sure that coaches will want to start a Mauigoa and Okunlola right off the bat as true freshmen, and Nelson’s return to health is far from certain. Cooper has the size, strength and a taste of what it takes to succeed at this level, and we think he’s got a tremendous future ahead.
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