Sun Devil Football Welcomes A.J. Cooper to Lead Linebackers

TEMPE – Sun Devil Football head coach Kenny Dillingham welcomed home a Valley native and standout defensive coach at Washington State in A.J. Cooper, who will coach the linebackers at ASU in Dillingham’s inaugural staff. 
 
Cooper spent the last three seasons at Washington State, the most recent as the defensive run game coordinator while also working with the edges. Cooper coached the edges in 2020 and took on additional duties as defensive line coach 2021. Under Cooper’s watch, Washington State transformed into one of the more impressive defenses in the Pac-12 with some of the most productive edge defenders and outside linebackers in the league under his guidance.
 
“One thing that stands out about the players under A.J. Cooper’s guidance is how tenacious they are on defense. They have a motor and are always around the ball,” Dillingham said. “I have already said how aggressive I want our defense to be and we took steps to get there with this addition. It took us a while but we finally brought Coach Cooper back home.”
 
In three seasons with the Cougars, the WSU edge defenders have recorded 285 quarterback pressures – third in the Pac-12 and just two behind Utah – which has played more games than WSU since 2020. WSU’s 250 pressures in the last two seasons without the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season are second in the Pac-12 and 11th in the FBS. 

“The opportunity to return home and work at a place that is truly special was too good to pass up,” Cooper said. “I want to thank Ray Anderson, Jean Boyd, and Kenny Dillingham for letting me be a part of this outstanding coaching staff. I look forward to being a part of the Sun Devil Family.”

 

WSU finished second in the Pac-12 this season in averaging 6.2 tackles for loss per game and were fourth in the league with 2.42 sacks per game. The team was 35th in the FBS in allowing just 127.4 rush yards per game. Cooper’s edge defenders posted 46 tackles for loss or no gain on run plays in the last two seasons – the 17th-most of any edge group in the FBS in that time. The group recorded 113 defensive “stops” in the last two seasons – 20th in the FBS – and did so without letting the opposition get down the field with an average tackle depth within just 2.10 yards of the line of scrimmage – 22nd in the FBS.

 

The 2022 season saw linebacker Daiyan Henley become the first Cougar linebacker to earn first-team honors since Will Derting in 2003. Henley, a graduate transfer from Nevada, enters the LA Bowl…