Cooper praises Nebraska's secondary, identifies Newsome as vocal leader during radio appearance

While light on substantial information, Nebraska secondary coach Evan Cooper’s radio appearance on Sports Nightly hinted at the makeup of a still-evolving Husker defensive back group. Over roughly 11 minutes Monday, Cooper painted the picture of a room diverse in personality but uniform in eagerness and earnestness in its first season under a new coaching staff.
“You can have 90 great plays and two bad plays, and that’s all that anybody will ever talk about, so you gotta have some deep-rooted confidence, and I think I have those type of guys,” Cooper told KLIN. “Those guys, they work. We believe in that room, that confidence comes from hard work and preparation and being dedicated to the craft. Those guys approach it that way.”
It starts at the top with Quinton Newsome. Cooper described the four-year contributor entering his final season of eligibility as his messenger and a “coach on the field,” with the vocal leader holding others accountable and bridging the gap between coach and players.
“I expect for him to have a great season,” Cooper said. “Typically, we just try to go day-to-day, but if we want to forecast a little bit, I think he should have his best season as a Husker.”
Cooper described junior safety Myles Farmer as similar to Newsome: a veteran constantly studying, working and asking questions.
Florida transfer Corey Collier frequently texts Cooper, asking for his opinion and picking his brain. The coach praised sophomore Malcolm Hartzog’s work ethic and competitiveness (“If I had five Malcolms, my job would be way easier.”) Isaac Gifford’s toughness makes him one of the unit’s “tone setters.”
Regarding almost every player, Cooper mentioned being pleased with intangible qualities and the level of effort since he came to NU, the results of which can’t be seen on the field until late August.
“As I keep going down the list, I’m like all of these guys, they really are coachable,” Cooper said. “I think that is probably what has stuck out to me the most, coming here in November. These guys want to be great, and there’s no limit to the things that they’ll do. They’ll do whatever we ask.”
Marques Buford is still working his way back after suffering a knee injury late last season, and Cooper indicated getting the junior safety back on the field would be a slow, deliberate process.
“He’ll want to get right back into it, and we’ll probably have to — at least myself — protect him against himself,” Cooper said. “But what I’ve seen from him is he’s attacking everything that he can do. The little things that we give him, he attacks it. I give him a small task in the DB room, and he does it. He’s a football junkie. He loves it.”
What exactly the group will look like when the season begins in Minnesota is still up in the air, especially while players still learning a new scheme that emphasizes versatility and backs lining up all over the field, but Cooper dropped a few hints. He said junior Javier Morton has found “the right spot for him and his skill set” but didn’t elaborate as to where that is. Cooper also mentioned that special teams stalwart Phalen Sanford could see more time on defense in 2023.
“If he’s not thinking that way (contributing on defense), then I think he’s thinking wrong,” Cooper said.