Marquez Cooper (born c. 2002) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the San Diego State Aztecs. He previously played for the

Kent State Golden Flashes The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level with footba ...

and the

Ball State Cardinals The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot. The Ball State Univer ...

Early life and high school

He grew up in

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

, attended Quince Orchard High School, played for the football team, and rushed for 2,897 yards and 51 touchdowns in two seasons. He received a scholarship to play for Kent State and made his debut in the fall of 2020.

College career

Kent State

In a condensed

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

season, Cooper appeared and started all four games for Kent State. He made his collegiate debut against

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

where he ran for 74 yards on 15 carries. The following week against

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

, he scored his first two collegiate touchdowns. In week three against

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

, he ran for a season high 107 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, he led the Flashes with 282 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2021, he rushed for 1,205 yards and 11 touchdowns. This earned him First team All-MAC. In 14 games played, he ran for over 110 yards in seven games. As a junior in 2022, he had his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Against

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

on October 1, he set career-highs with 40 carries and 240 rushing yards. During the 2022 season, he totaled 1,331 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named First team All-MAC in 2022 after being on the secon team in 2021.

Ball State

On December 14, 2022, he announced that he had transferred to Ball State. In week three, Cooper ran for a season high 177 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown in a victory over Indiana State. On the season, Cooper ran for 1,043 yards on 227 carries with four touchdowns. For Cooper, this marked the third consecutive 1,000 yard rushing season. He ran for over 100 yards in four games and was named Second team All-MAC for the second time in his career.

San Diego State

On April 27, 2024, Cooper transferred to

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

. Cooper reunited with head coach Sean Lewis whom he had previously spent three seasons with at Kent State. He entered the season as the leading rusher in FBS with 3,856 career yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. In his first game as an Aztec, Cooper ran for 223 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in a victory against Texas A&M–Commerce. In week twelve, Cooper surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season in a loss to

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...

. Cooper tied an FBS record with four 1,000 yard rushing seasons. He became the first player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards with three different teams.

Statistics

References

External links

Kent State Golden Flashes bioBall State Cardinals bioSan Diego State Aztecs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Marquez Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American football running backs Kent State Golden Flashes football players Ball State Cardinals football players Players of American football from Gaithersburg, Maryland San Diego State Aztecs football players