Indiana University Athletics
Multiple Sports Boost Cooper Jones
7/7/2021 12:00:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Specialization rules in youth sports these days. Pick a sport, stay with it all the way through and -- perhaps -- reap college-and-beyond dividends.
Not in the Jones of Valparaiso family.
Cooper Jones was always a two-sport guy and it's a big reason he's now an Indiana Hoosier with a big defensive end upside.
The 6-6, 270-pounder was a football and basketball standout at state-of-Indiana power Valparaiso High School. He brings the kind of skill, athleticism, and intelligence (he's a 4.0 grade-point-average student) head coach Tom Allen and defensive line coach Kevin Peoples want from the position.
Playing two sports helped.
"My dad and I used to say basketball would improve your agility," Jones says via recent Zoom interview availability. "Instead of having the offseason of just lifting weights and running, you are able to compete. That's good."
Allen, a football and wrestling standout in high school and college, seeks multi-sport athletes for his program because of the edge it provides.
It certainly helped Jones at Valparaiso. ESPN rated him as the state of Indiana's No. 5 football prospect in the Class of 2020. Rivals listed him as the nation's No. 21 strong-side defensive end.
He was an all-state football player as a junior and senior with career totals of 190 tackles, 28 for loss, 17.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three blocked kicks, and two defensive touchdowns.
As a senior he had 80 tackles, 12.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, and one blocked punt.
Valparaiso was the state runner-up in 2019 and reached the semistate last season.
As for basketball, he lettered four years, averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds for his career.
"I played basketball since I was little," Jones says. "It's a way to keep the agility up and have a way to compete outside of football. It's a little cross training to help make sure you don't get hurt.
"I love basketball. It's fun. It helps with speed. It helps you be a little more athletic and explosive."
IU had an inside connection thanks to Jones' mother, Kassey, who played softball for the Hoosiers from 1993-96. His father, Eric, played football at Notre Dame.
"She said it's a great campus. She had a great time inside and outside of athletics. It influenced my decision a little bit.
"She gave me an idea somewhat of what to expect. The facilities are a lot nicer now than they were when she was here. She was glad I picked IU."
Jones' high school dominance crashes against veteran college players. He knows it, and embraces it.
"The athleticism is at another level, another notch," he says. "All those guys are men. They're moving fast."
As far as reaching that level, he says, "It's a process. It will take some time to get used to it, but I'm starting to adjust. The conditioning has been good. I have improved. If I keep improving, I feel confident I'll be able to hit that level."
Jones projects as a defensive end.
"As of now, I've been repping with the ends. That's where Coach Peoples has told me to focus on,"
Jones' adjustment has been aided by the veteran defensive ends.
"They've all been super accepting and nice," he says. "They put their arms around me and helped me learn the plays and the position. There's a lot I have to learn. I couldn't ask for much more."
Even Ole Miss transfer Ryder Anderson has pitched in.
"He took me aside after some drills and slowed it down for me. Again, it's all of them. If I ever have a question, I'm not afraid to ask any of them. They're down-to-earth guys. They don't act like they're better than me, although they know more and are more athletic. They're good dudes who have been nothing but nice to me."
*****
Maurice Freeman took no chances. He played hard as a senior linebacker at Virginia's Oscar Smith High School, but not reckless.
The result -- he helped Oscar Smith win a Class 6A title, and if it came in the spring rather than the fall, the big thing was that it came, pandemic be darned.
Now that he's an IU freshman with new challenges, that winning-edge mentality could deliver Cream & Crimon benefits.
"It meant a lot," Freeman says about the state title. "I really wanted that ring. This was what we were working for the whole COVID season. That was what we wanted to do. It was big for all the seniors. We got it done."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Freeman projects as a husky in IU's attack defense. It's a hybrid safety-linebacker position that requires toughness, awareness, and athleticism.
He says he enjoys playing man-to-man pass coverage as well as dealing with run-stopping and quarterback-blitzing responsibilities.
"I like playing man. (Husky) is a man position. We play man a lot. I love coming off the edge. Coming down and setting the edge and being in the run gaps. That's what I really like about (husky)."
Freeman had a similar role in high school.
"Everything here is the same as what we ran in high school, but here there is more man to man. If I keep getting on my craft, I will be on the field early."
Because of the pandemic, Freeman never visited the IU campus before arriving earlier in the month.
"I didn't see everything in the virtual tour. Everything wasn't open then. Everything was on the phone. It's different being here in person."
The state title was a two-year process. Oscar Smith was the state runner-up during Freeman's junior year.
Preparations continued even when players couldn't practice together because of COVID-19 restrictions. Teams finally started practicing four weeks before the spring season started.
"We had Zoom meetings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the positions," Freeman says. "We stayed close as a team.
"It was hard. They shut everything down. We didn't get to practice. We didn't have that much time in the weight room."
As far as avoiding injury, he says he focused on "Fitting in in my position and being where I was supposed to be every play. Be there and make the play."
*****
You can't get enough speed on the field, and freshman running back David Holloman has plenty of that. He ran a 4.29 40-yard dash during the World Bowl Hall of Fame National Combine in Orlando
The 6-foot, 215-pound Holloman only played in two games as a senior at Michigan's Avondale High School. because of COVID-19 restrictions. As a junior, he created a lot of buzz after rushing for 1,236 yards with 14 touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns.
Holloman's versatility enabled him to earn all-state basketball honors as a senior as well as showcase high-level track potential in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
What kind of runner is he?
"I see my running style as an all-around type of guy," he says. "I catch the ball. I like to make cuts and go north. I read protection and read between the lines."
Running backs coach Deland McCullough demands pass protection as well as running and receiving duties from all of his tailbacks.
"There is a lot to learn," Holloman says. "It's something I'm starting to get familiar with.
"Coach McCullough is a great teacher. I feel I can grasp that quickly because he is a really good coach and he can teach me those things.
"Coach McCullough is a real dude. With him coaching me up, I've learned a lot of things."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Specialization rules in youth sports these days. Pick a sport, stay with it all the way through and -- perhaps -- reap college-and-beyond dividends.
Not in the Jones of Valparaiso family.
Cooper Jones was always a two-sport guy and it's a big reason he's now an Indiana Hoosier with a big defensive end upside.
The 6-6, 270-pounder was a football and basketball standout at state-of-Indiana power Valparaiso High School. He brings the kind of skill, athleticism, and intelligence (he's a 4.0 grade-point-average student) head coach Tom Allen and defensive line coach Kevin Peoples want from the position.
Playing two sports helped.
"My dad and I used to say basketball would improve your agility," Jones says via recent Zoom interview availability. "Instead of having the offseason of just lifting weights and running, you are able to compete. That's good."
Allen, a football and wrestling standout in high school and college, seeks multi-sport athletes for his program because of the edge it provides.
It certainly helped Jones at Valparaiso. ESPN rated him as the state of Indiana's No. 5 football prospect in the Class of 2020. Rivals listed him as the nation's No. 21 strong-side defensive end.
He was an all-state football player as a junior and senior with career totals of 190 tackles, 28 for loss, 17.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three blocked kicks, and two defensive touchdowns.
As a senior he had 80 tackles, 12.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, and one blocked punt.
Valparaiso was the state runner-up in 2019 and reached the semistate last season.
As for basketball, he lettered four years, averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds for his career.
"I played basketball since I was little," Jones says. "It's a way to keep the agility up and have a way to compete outside of football. It's a little cross training to help make sure you don't get hurt.
"I love basketball. It's fun. It helps with speed. It helps you be a little more athletic and explosive."
IU had an inside connection thanks to Jones' mother, Kassey, who played softball for the Hoosiers from 1993-96. His father, Eric, played football at Notre Dame.
"She said it's a great campus. She had a great time inside and outside of athletics. It influenced my decision a little bit.
"She gave me an idea somewhat of what to expect. The facilities are a lot nicer now than they were when she was here. She was glad I picked IU."
Jones' high school dominance crashes against veteran college players. He knows it, and embraces it.
"The athleticism is at another level, another notch," he says. "All those guys are men. They're moving fast."
As far as reaching that level, he says, "It's a process. It will take some time to get used to it, but I'm starting to adjust. The conditioning has been good. I have improved. If I keep improving, I feel confident I'll be able to hit that level."
Jones projects as a defensive end.
"As of now, I've been repping with the ends. That's where Coach Peoples has told me to focus on,"
Jones' adjustment has been aided by the veteran defensive ends.
"They've all been super accepting and nice," he says. "They put their arms around me and helped me learn the plays and the position. There's a lot I have to learn. I couldn't ask for much more."
Even Ole Miss transfer Ryder Anderson has pitched in.
"He took me aside after some drills and slowed it down for me. Again, it's all of them. If I ever have a question, I'm not afraid to ask any of them. They're down-to-earth guys. They don't act like they're better than me, although they know more and are more athletic. They're good dudes who have been nothing but nice to me."
*****
Maurice Freeman took no chances. He played hard as a senior linebacker at Virginia's Oscar Smith High School, but not reckless.
The result -- he helped Oscar Smith win a Class 6A title, and if it came in the spring rather than the fall, the big thing was that it came, pandemic be darned.
Now that he's an IU freshman with new challenges, that winning-edge mentality could deliver Cream & Crimon benefits.
"It meant a lot," Freeman says about the state title. "I really wanted that ring. This was what we were working for the whole COVID season. That was what we wanted to do. It was big for all the seniors. We got it done."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Freeman projects as a husky in IU's attack defense. It's a hybrid safety-linebacker position that requires toughness, awareness, and athleticism.
He says he enjoys playing man-to-man pass coverage as well as dealing with run-stopping and quarterback-blitzing responsibilities.
"I like playing man. (Husky) is a man position. We play man a lot. I love coming off the edge. Coming down and setting the edge and being in the run gaps. That's what I really like about (husky)."
Freeman had a similar role in high school.
"Everything here is the same as what we ran in high school, but here there is more man to man. If I keep getting on my craft, I will be on the field early."
Because of the pandemic, Freeman never visited the IU campus before arriving earlier in the month.
"I didn't see everything in the virtual tour. Everything wasn't open then. Everything was on the phone. It's different being here in person."
The state title was a two-year process. Oscar Smith was the state runner-up during Freeman's junior year.
Preparations continued even when players couldn't practice together because of COVID-19 restrictions. Teams finally started practicing four weeks before the spring season started.
"We had Zoom meetings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the positions," Freeman says. "We stayed close as a team.
"It was hard. They shut everything down. We didn't get to practice. We didn't have that much time in the weight room."
As far as avoiding injury, he says he focused on "Fitting in in my position and being where I was supposed to be every play. Be there and make the play."
*****
You can't get enough speed on the field, and freshman running back David Holloman has plenty of that. He ran a 4.29 40-yard dash during the World Bowl Hall of Fame National Combine in Orlando
The 6-foot, 215-pound Holloman only played in two games as a senior at Michigan's Avondale High School. because of COVID-19 restrictions. As a junior, he created a lot of buzz after rushing for 1,236 yards with 14 touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns.
Holloman's versatility enabled him to earn all-state basketball honors as a senior as well as showcase high-level track potential in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
What kind of runner is he?
"I see my running style as an all-around type of guy," he says. "I catch the ball. I like to make cuts and go north. I read protection and read between the lines."
Running backs coach Deland McCullough demands pass protection as well as running and receiving duties from all of his tailbacks.
"There is a lot to learn," Holloman says. "It's something I'm starting to get familiar with.
"Coach McCullough is a great teacher. I feel I can grasp that quickly because he is a really good coach and he can teach me those things.
"Coach McCullough is a real dude. With him coaching me up, I've learned a lot of things."
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