Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions have landed another former Cyclone to make the move to Happy Valley as former Iowa State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper announced his commitment to Penn State on Sunday.
A 6-foot-0, 195-pound defensive back, Cooper has played a lot of football for the Cyclones the last four seasons, starting 36 games going back to his true freshman season in 2022. Over his career, he’s totaled 134 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 8 interceptions, and 22 passes defended. His best year came in 2023 when he picked off 5 passes and was named first-team All-Big 12.
He’s played all over the field for the Iowa State defense, lining up as a slot corner and free safety for much of his career and most recently made the switch to outside corner for his senior season in 2025. That was cut short though, as he suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice heading into week 5. Fortunately for him, he had a redshirt year to use which provided him another year of eligibility, which will now come at Penn State.
The $64,000 question for a versatile player like Cooper is where he fits into the mix for the Nittany Lions. Having experience all over the secondary, it’s not exactly clear what the plan is for him. Based on the depth chart, I would *guess* he plays more free safety for Penn State. Here’s what I have down as far as a secondary depth chart goes:
Star: Marcus Neal (JR) — Chris Fileppo (SO)
SS: Jamison Patton (SR) — Vaboue Toure (RS SO)
FS: Jeremiah Cooper (RS SR) — Omarion Davis (SO)
CB: Daryrus Dixson (SO) — Jahmir Joseph (RS FR)
CB: Audavion Collins (RS SR) — Zion Tracy (SR)
Reminder: *rough* projection here and the caveat Penn State will play with a nickel (likely Zion Tracy still) quite a bit. Though, maybe Cooper is the nickel? Which, again, points to there being a lot to be figured out.
