Marquez Cooper Embraces the Underdog Mentality
11/25/2022 12:39:00 PM | Football
“It’s a blessing to be able to carry the load, to be able to get the ball each rep. To be the main carrier for this team has been everything for me,” junior running back Marquez Cooper said.
Cooper has been the nucleus of the Golden Flash offense the last two seasons as he has become the fourth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons. The junior from Gaithersburg, Maryland continues to etch his name into the Kent State record books as he has climbed to 6th on the school’s all-time rushing leaderboard with 2,673 career yards and 27 touchdowns.
As Cooper continues to grow his star prowess as a Golden Flash, he recalled watching and even playing video games as the stars that came before him.
“Dri Archer has always been someone I watched and followed since the Madden Mobile days,” Cooper said. “Justin Rankin is another great one that I have watched a lot of film on.”
Since Cooper arrived for the Golden Flashes in the 2020 season, his consistency and success has all started with the people around him whether it's his offensive line or his running backs coach Matt Johnson. Johnson was promoted to running backs coach prior to the 2020 spring season.
“It’s all about the people around me, and the work that I put in. It’s more about the people than anything,” Cooper said.
The Golden Flash running back room also features freshman Gavin Garcia, red shirt junior Bryan Bradford, and graduate Xavier Williams. “X” has missed the entirety of the season due to injury but the group has still maintained its status of being one of the most effective units in the country over the last two seasons.
The Flash Fast offense ranked third in total rushing in 2021 and checks in at 22nd this season with one regular season game remaining. The overall success of the unit wouldn’t be possible without Coach Johnson’s hard work and Cooper credits him as the person who has helped him grow the most during his time in a Kent State uniform.
“[Johnson] is always willing to put the time in in the film room and do whatever else I might need like make a film-cut up. I appreciate him,” Cooper said.
Since head coach Sean Lewis took over the reins of the program in 2018, wearing a single-digit number has become a highly-regarded privilege for players. Players wearing a single digit represent the “Golden Standard” and Cooper is one of eight players to earn a single digit number for the Flashes this season as he has sported no. 1 each of the last two years.
“It means the world to me to be able to uphold the culture of the program and do what’s right at all times,” Cooper said.
The way Cooper carries himself and leads by example has been a staple in who he is as a person and a player. Listed at 5’7”, Cooper plays with a chip on his shoulder game-in and game-out as he has considered himself to be underrated throughout his football career. It has ultimately served as a catalyst for the creation of his personal clothing brand: Coop Underrated.
“All my life I have really been underrated as a player, I have been overlooked multiple times because of my size or whatever else it might be,” Cooper said.
The creation of Cooper’s brand, Underrated, began with Cooper and his mother back at their home in Maryland. The two have worked together to express the message of Underrated through custom T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Hats, and more.
While Cooper is on the field putting in work for the Golden Flashes, his mother is off the field taking care of business for Underrated.
“My mom does so much of the work for the brand that I can’t do because of the season,” Cooper said. “She helps with social media, puts out orders, and makes the clothes from scratch.”
Although the foundation of Underrated began with Cooper’s journey as a player, he wants the message of Underrated to run deeper than the football field. Cooper wants his brand to continue to expand as a community who helps each other grow together.
“No matter what you do, whether it's football or anything else in life, if you are overlooked and underappreciated this is where you deserve to be,” Cooper said. “Even if you’re not overlooked, you should still feel underrated to push yourself to grow and be better.”
The establishment of Underrated has helped Cooper gain vital skills and learn valuable lessons to have just as much success off the field as he does on the field.
Cooper and the Golden Flashes have one game remaining for the 2022 season and will look to spoil the Buffalo Bulls’ senior day in their game at UB Stadium on November 26th at 1 P.M. ET.
Cooper still has two years of college eligibility remaining, expect to see him continuing to wreak havoc upon opposing defenses. The underdog mentality he plays with is not going anywhere anytime soon.
