As Kalen DeBoer continues to build his staff at Alabama, he has his sights set on a major move inside the SEC. The 49-year-old head coach is trying to poach one of the most important pieces to success at the University of Georgia.
According to Graham Coffey of TPL Georgia, the Crimson Tide has reached out to David Cooper to gauge his interest about a lateral move. Kalen DeBoer and company would like the Bulldogs’ Director of Recruiting Relations to leave Athens for the same role in Tuscaloosa.
The 32-year-old used to be considered an up-and-coming star in the recruiting world. That is no longer the case. He is a star.
Cooper played a large role in landing back-to-back top-10 classes at Florida in 2019 and 2020. Georgia has had a top-three class in each year since his arrival in 2021 and currently ranks No. 1 for 2024.
It would be a very big deal if Cooper was to leave Kirby Smart’s staff to join DeBoer.
There are some ties between DeBoer and Cooper. However, they have never worked together directly.
Cooper played linebacker at Indiana from 2012 through 2014. William Inge was the defensive coordinator for the Hoosiers at the time. Inge later served on DeBoer’s staff at Washington and Fresno State. He could potentially join the group at Alabama in the coming weeks.
Either way, it sounds like DeBoer is aware of Cooper through the grapevine. And there has been an initial discussion about the possibility of leaving Smart and Georgia to recruit for Alabama.
Should it come to fruition, Cooper’s lateral move would be one that goes relatively unnoticed by casual college football fans. However, for those who are more familiar with the Bulldogs’ behind-the-scenes operations know that it would be a big get.
There is no indication as to which way Cooper is leaning at this point. It would be a statement move if he makes the jump!