Sports
Freshman Cope With Leadership
< < Back to freshman-cope-leadershipTall, long and wiry, Ohio Bobcats receiver Brendan Cope lines up at Peden Stadium’s 25-yard line. He peers over at his quarterback – JD Sprague for this particular drill – awaiting a signal. Sprague hikes the ball, rolls out and tosses a touchdown dime to Cope on a post route.
This time the deep ball was just practice, but the redshirt freshman wideout is making some noise on game days.
Three games into the 2014 season, Cope is one of the Bobcats’ leading receivers. His 165 receiving yards rank first on the team, and his eight receptions are good for second on the team. Crunch numbers and the freshman’s 20.4 yards per reception are indicative of his deep-threat capability.
“Me and our quarterbacks work a lot of scramble drills, and that’s where our two biggest passes came from,” Cope said. “We have good chemistry there, and I think it will continue through the season.”
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete humbly attributes his success to wide receiver coach Dwayne Dixon, and former Bobcats Donte Foster and Matt Waters, two seniors the Warren, Ohio, native learned a lot from during his 2013 redshirt season.
That year on the bench was critical for Cope to learn how to play from three different receiving positions.
As a student athlete at Howland High School he lined up all over the gridiron, most significantly as a quarterback, running back, receiver and even punter. He compiled 1228 total yards and 12 touchdowns at all three offensive positions. The bulk of his work came at receiver, where he racked up 616 yards and six touchdowns.
As a redshirt, Cope became a full-time receiver for the first time.
“He learns fast,” Dixon said. “He was one of those guys that could do everything pretty well, and now he’s focusing on receiving and doing it very well.”
The Bobcats have completed 54 passes to 11 different players, and the balanced passing attack has given Cope an opportunity to shine.
“We’re substituting in and out and we all can make plays,” Cope said. “It's just a matter of, they’re throwing me the ball and I’m going up and making plays.”
Cope believes the Bobcats’ depth at receiver makes for a consistent rotation – one that will allow him plenty of opportunities to remain successful as the season carries on. But whether on the field or on the sidelines, it’s all the same to Cope. When the receiver isn’t running routes or setting blocks on the field, he remains a positive and focused figure on the bench.
“He’s plays the game without being so excitable that he’s too hyped or so low that he can’t get himself together,” Dixon said.
Good or bad, Cope keeps a level head. He knows the best way for him to help his team is to always remain as calm as possible, and that stable and consistent personality is infectious.
“He’s a great guy on and off the field,” receiver Sebastian Smith said. “He sets the example for everybody, and he’s a young guy, and that’s a great thing [because] he’s just going to mature [more].”
Cope is no stranger to being in a leadership role. He captained his football, basketball and track and field team as a senior at Howland. He also participated in student senate for four years.
Exploits like that were exemplified when Cope received the West Point Leadership Award, an honor given to a high school student who displays high character in their academics, athletics, community service, citizenship and leadership abilities.
“Those factors outside of football are factors we look for,” Dixon said. “[He’s] got quality character and it will spill over to our other guys … It’s only going to help our team and guys are going to look up to him.”
As a freshman, Cope is already making quite an impact on the Bobcats’ offense. His production coupled with his leadership puts Ohio’s receiving corps in more-than-capable hands for 2014 and beyond.