CAREER: Appeared in 51 games with 27 starts…Finished his career at Florida with 81 receptions for 1,496 yards…Surpassed the 1,000-yard career mark in the win over Georgia in 2009…Averaged over 18 yards per reception…Tallied 18 touchdowns over four years, including half of those in his senior season…Tallied four career 100+ receiving yard performances…Scored six touchdowns in three games during the 2007 season against Western Carolina (3), Western Kentucky (2) and Tennessee (1)…HONORS: 2009 AP Second-Team All-SEC…2007 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll…2006 SEC Freshman of the Week following his performance against Western Carolina…2009: Started every game for the Gators in 2009… Ranked first among Gators in receiving yards (961) and second in receptions (51)…His 51 receptions in 2009 nearly doubled his totals for his three previous seasons put together…Had a team-leading nine touchdowns in 2009…25 of his 35 catches in 2009 occurred in SEC play while amassing 406 yards and five touchdowns…Averaged 18.8 yards per reception that ranked second in the SEC…Finished sixth in the conference in receiving yards per game (68.6)…Notched the fourth 100+ receiving yard performance of his career against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, tallying career bests with 181 yards and seven catches, including a career-long 80 yard TD reception…His performance against the Bearcats was the second-best receiving yardage effort in a Sugar Bowl game, becoming the first person to surpass 150+ receiving yards since LSU’s Josh Reed (239) and Illinois’ Walter Young (178) in the 2002 Sugar Bowl…Set a single-game Gator bowl receiving mark against the Bearcats…Tallied 77 yards on three receptions in the SEC Championship Game versus Alabama, highlighted by a 59-yard reception in the second quarter… Had three receptions for 62 yards against FSU, including a 39-yard touchdown pass from Tebow in the duo’s final game in The Swamp…Caught his seventh touchdown of the season, 16th of his career, in the third quarter against FIU and had 48 yards on three catches in the home victory… Surpassed the 100-yard plateau for the second time this season with 112 yards on three catches and one TD, all coming in the first half versus South Carolina…His 68-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Gamecocks matched a previously set career-long…Led the squad in receiving against Georgia with four catches for 78 yards…Two of his four receptions were touchdowns that occurred in the first quarter…The victory marked his first game in 2009 with multiple TD receptions and the first time in his career that he had two in a league game…Had the most receiving yards in the Gators’ win over Mississippi State with 63 yards on four catches…Tallied a career-high six receptions for 58 yards, highlighted by a 12-yard catch to convert a third-and-10 on the Gators’ final drive, in the victory over Arkansas…Scored the only touchdown of the game for Florida off a 24-yard pass by Tim Tebow in the second quarter versus LSU…Tallied 33 yards on two receptions in the 13-3 win in Baton Rouge…Snagged his second receiving touchdown of the season in the win over Kentucky, grabbing two passes for 30 yards against the Wildcats…Led the Gators in the win over Troy after matching his career-high five receptions from his previous game for 82 yards…His first touchdown of the 2009 season came on a 36-yard pass from Tebow to give the Gators a 14-3 lead over the Trojans in the first half…Set a then career-high with five receptions for 105 yards, including a then career-long 68-yard reception from Tebow in the first quarter against Charleston Southern…2008: Appeared in every game for the Gators, starting all but two (Hawaii and Florida State)… Ranked fifth on the team in receiving yards with 261 and receptions with 18…Totaled 28 yards on two receptions in the BCS National Championship Game, including a crucial 17-yard catch on 3rd-and-12…Hauled in a key touchdown, along with a season-high 51-yard reception, that put UF in scoring position at the SEC Championship Game versus Alabama…Scored his first touchdown of the season on an 11-yard reception, his only catch of the game, at Vanderbilt… Appeared as a member of the hands’ team for a failed on-side kick attempt in the victory over LSU… Made a critical block on Jeff Demps’ 61-yard touchdown reception in the win against Kentucky…2007: Appeared in 10 games during the year with two starts in home contests against Tennessee and Auburn… Missed games against Georgia and Vanderbilt as a result of a broken finger suffered in the first quarter at Kentucky…Also saw action during the season on the kickoff coverage unit…Dressed but did not see action in the Capital One Bowl against Michigan…Had 182 yards receiving on just eight catches, an average of 22.8 yards per reception leading the Gators in yards per catch…Scored a touchdown on his only touch against Tennessee, a 30-yard reception…Also made a critical play on special teams, catching the Vols’ LaMarcus Coker down the sideline to prevent a touchdown on a 74-yard return…Reeled in one reception for nine yards against Auburn…Hauled in a career-high and team best four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 59-yard grab in his 2007 debut against Western Kentucky…2006: Served as the gunner on special teams and played in 13 of the 14 games for the Gators…Established a then-career-high with three receptions — all touchdowns — in the romp over Western Carolina…SEC Freshman of the Week following his performance against WCU…Was the first Gator freshman wide receiver to have three TD catches in a game since Jabar Gaffney accomplished the feat in 2000…Caught a seven-yard pass from Chris Leak in the second quarter and hooked up with Tim Tebow twice in the fourth quarter from 55 yards and 20 yards…Set up a safety on the opening kickoff of the second half against LSU with a jarring hit on the Tiger receiver that forced a fumble…The Gators tackled the player in the end zone for the two points…Saw action in Florida’s triumphs over Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, mostly on special teams…Made collegiate debut with one reception for 10 yards against UCF…Dressed but did not see action against Southern Miss…PREP: First-team all-state at wide receiver and free safety his junior and senior seasons…Holds Florida state records for punt and kickoff return yards…Considered the sixth-best athlete in the country according to Rivals.com…Three-time all-county selection…Had 103 tackles as a senior with five interceptions, giving him 20 for his career…Team captain his senior season…Caught passes in seven games, totaling 34 receptions for 572 yards and seven scores…Picked off nine passes as a junior and accumulated 15 over the span of his final two prep seasons…Caught 32 passes for 982 yards and 15 scores his senior season…Totaled 128 tackles from the free safety position as a junior…Averaged a state-record 30.6 yards per catch as a senior…Also played baseball and was the No. 161 prospect in the nation for the 2006 Draft, and No. 22 in the state of Florida according to Baseball America…Chose Florida over Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Southern Cal…PERSONAL: Born Riley Thomas Cooper on Sept. 9, 1987, in Oklahoma City, Okla.…Son of Larry and Monica Cooper…Father, Larry, played baseball at Oklahoma State…Has a sister, Lindsey…Selected in the 25th round of the 2009 MLB Draft after his junior season at Florida but chose to remain in school…Was selected in the 2006 MLB Draft, but chose to attend college instead…Enjoys fishing and hunting in his free time…Chose Florida because of its solid football and baseball programs…MAJOR: Sports Management.

 

CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

Year    No.    Yds    Avg.   TDs Long

2006     4      92    23.0      3      55

2007     8     182   22.8      3      59

2008    18    261   14.5      3      51

2009    51    961   18.8      9      80

Totals: 81  1,496 18.5    18     80

 

COOPER’S CAREER HIGHS

Receptions: 7 (Cincinnati, 2009)

Receiving Yards: 181 (Cincinnati, 2009)

Receiving TDs: 3 (Western Carolina, 2006)

Longest Reception: 80 (Cincinnati, 2009)

 

Profile

·    Taken in the 25^th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers and signed a professional baseball contract before the start of the 2009 Florida Football Season

·    Father, Larry, is good friends with Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford’s father. The two dads attended Putnam City High School in Oklahoma together

·    A two-sport player (baseball and football) at UF who earned a starting spot on the 2008 baseball roster and also played baseball for the Gators in 2009

·    Played summer baseball in 2009 in the Texas Collegiate League for the McKinney Marshals

·    Cooper played the entire 2006 season while suffering from Sesamoiditis, an inflammation of the sesamoid bones located just underneath his big left toe

 

2009
		|---RUSHING---|				I--RECEIVING--I				I-PASSING-I	all
Date	Opponent	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	Cmp-Att-Int	purp
Sep 5, 2009	CHARLESTON SOUTHERN	0	0	0	0	5	105	0	68	0-0-0	105
Sep 12, 2009	TROY	1	14	0	14	5	82	1	36	0-0-0	96
Sep 19, 2009	TENNESSEE	0	0	0	0	3	25	0	9	0-0-0	25
Sep 26, 2009	at Kentucky	0	0	0	0	2	30	1	22	0-0-0	30
Oct 10, 2009	at LSU	0	0	0	0	2	33	1	24	0-0-0	33
Oct 17, 2009	ARKANSAS	0	0	0	0	6	58	0	13	0-1-0	58
Oct 24, 2009	at Mississippi State	0	0	0	0	4	63	0	21	0-0-0	63
Oct 31, 2009	vs Georgia	0	0	0	0	4	78	2	29	0-0-0	78
Nov 7, 2009	VANDERBILT	0	0	0	0	1	7	0	7	0-0-0	7
Nov 14, 2009	at South Carolina	0	0	0	0	3	112	1	68	0-0-0	112
Nov 21, 2009	FIU	0	0	0	0	3	48	1	21	0-0-0	48
Nov 28, 2009	FLORIDA STATE	0	0	0	0	3	62	1	39	0-0-0	62
Dec 5, 2009	vs Alabama	0	0	0	0	3	77	0	59	0-0-0	77
Jan 1, 2010	vs Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	7	181	1	80	0-0-0	181
	Totals	1	14	0	14	51	961	9	80	0-1-0	975

 

 

2008
		I--RUSHING--I				I--RECEIVING--I				all
Date	Opponent	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	purp
Aug 30, 2008	HAWAII	0	0	0	0	1	14	0	14	14
Sep 6, 2008	MIAMI	0	0	0	0	2	15	0	8	15
Sep 20, 2008	at Tennessee	0	0	0	0	1	5	0	5	5
Sep 27, 2008	OLE MISS	0	0	0	0	2	28	0	18	28
Oct 4, 2008	at Arkansas	0	0	0	0	1	15	0	15	15
Oct 11, 2008	LSU	0	0	0	0	2	19	0	10	19
Oct 25, 2008	UK	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 1, 2008	vs UGA	0	0	0	0	2	22	0	14	22
Nov 8, 2008	at Vanderbilt	0	0	0	0	1	11	1	11	11
Nov 15, 2008	USC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 22, 2008	THE CITADEL	0	0	0	0	1	43	1	43	43
Nov 29, 2008	at Florida State	0	0	0	0	1	5	0	5	5
Dec 6, 2008	vs Alabama	0	0	0	0	2	56	1	51	56
Jan 8, 2009	vs Oklahoma	0	0	0	0	2	28	0	17	28
	Totals	0	0	0	0	18	261	3	51	261

 

2007
		I--RUSHING--I				I--RECEIVING--I
Date	Opponent	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	all purp
Sep 1, 2007	WKU	0	0	0	0	4	122	2	59	122
Sep 8,2007	TROY	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 15, 2007	UT	0	0	0	0	1	30	1	30	30
Sep 22, 2007	at Ole Miss	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 29, 2007	AUBURN	0	0	0	0	1	9	0	9	9
Oct 6, 2007	at LSU	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct  20, 2007	at Kentucky	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 10, 2007	at South Carolina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 17, 2007	FLORIDA ATLANTIC	0	0	0	0	2	21	0	13	21
Nov 24, 2007	FLORIDA STATE	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Totals	0	0	0	0	8	182	3	59	182

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

2006
		I--RUSHING--I				I--RECEIVING--I				all
Date	Opponent	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	No.	Yds	TD	Lg	purp
Sep 9, 2006	UCF	0	0	0	0	1	10	0	10	10
Sep 16, 2006	at Tennessee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 23, 2006	KENTUCKY	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 30, 2006	ALABAMA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 7, 2006	LSU	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 14, 2006	at Auburn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 28, 2006	vs Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 4, 2006	at Vanderbilt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 11, 2006	SOUTH CAROLINA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nov 18, 2006	WESTERN CAROLINA	0	0	0	0	3	82	3	55	82
Nov 25, 2006	at Florida State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dec. 2, 2006	vs Arkansas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jan. 8, 2007	vs Ohio State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Totals	0	0	0	0	4	92	3	55	92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What They’re Saying About Riley Cooper

“I think he’s one of the best and I’ve been blessed to have some great receivers, personally. And it goes all the way back to seeing Cris Carter (Ohio State) when I was a graduate assistant. He (Cooper) is one of he best receivers we’ve ever had. Does he have 140 catches? No. He’s one of the best receivers, as we talk around here, as a football player. He’s one of the best receivers we’ve had, all-purpose. He wasn’t (originally). So that tells you the kind of football player he has become. He’s very serious about his approach to the game now.” (10/20/09)

Urban Meyer, UF Head Coach

 

“Flat out, he’s a competitor. He might not look the prettiest. And he might not look like the best-looking receiver. But he’s a warrior. He’s going to go out there and he’s going to fight. He’s going to block. And he’s going to hit you in the face. And he’s going to push you. And he’s going to keep fighting you.” (10/20/09)

Tim Tebow, UF quarterback

 

"He might be one of the best [blocking receivers] we've ever had. Our guys block before they catch balls in practice. Riley Cooper takes it to the next level because he's such a tough guy and a competitive guy." (9/7/09)

Urban Meyer, UF Head Coach

 

"I love the way he works, his work ethic, the way he goes about himself, the way he handles his business on the field when he gets his opportunities. I see him every day and I know what he's capable of. I have to get on my horse and every other DB out here in practice they know when Riley Cooper's coming he's going to give them his best and try to come out here and get a starting spot just like everybody else. Once he gets going, he really gets going." (9/5/07)

Markihe Anderson, UF cornerback

 

“Tim (Tebow) told me that he was one of our best deep threat guys a year ago before he got hurt. He has a knack. He’s big and he’s extremely fast.”

Urban Meyer, UF Head Coach

 

“That’s a tough cat. The entire two-a-days he had to sit out at least one practice, every day. But every time he went on the field he went and he went hard. We credit a lot to Cooper for doing that because he’s a big part of our special teams as well. So once we’ve seen him do that on special teams and then, coming back on the offensive side of the ball and making plays, we knew he was special and definitely committed.”

Cornelius Ingram, former UF tight end