At least three Buckeyes will represent their school at the 2021 Senior Bowl.
Redshirt senior defensive end Jonathon Cooper accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl on Wednesday evening. It signals this will be his final season at Ohio State, as expected, even though the NCAA's decision to not count this year for eligibility purposes would allow him to be back for a sixth year.
Cooper joins Tuf Borland and Trey Sermon as the third Buckeye to accept a Senior Bowl invitation.
Welcome DL @JonathonCooper7 from @OhioStateFB to the @Reeses Senior Bowl!! #GoBuckeyes#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE #BestOfTheBest@JimNagy_SB @PaniniAmerica #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/l6YYkohz5L
— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) December 3, 2020
Originally, Cooper planned to be in the NFL this fall. But a nagging ankle injury led him to unexpectedly redshirt last year, bringing him back to Ohio State for the 2020 season.
He's turned into one of the Ohio State's defense's best players, recording 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup. Though not an official statistic released by the Buckeyes, he's racked up pressures, and after his most recent game, Pro Football Focus named him as the Big Ten's highest-graded defender.
