Penn State’s buzz around Jeremiah Cooper has now reached the national awards scene.
The Nittany Lions safety was named Friday to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes each year to “the outstanding defensive player in college football” and is handed out by the Maxwell Football Club. For a player coming off a knee injury that ended his 2025 season at Iowa State last September, it’s another sign that expectations for his return are not just internal.
Cooper already had his name on the Comeback Player of the Year watch list, and he’s also included on the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 and the Senior Bowl Top 300 heading into his redshirt senior season.
Penn State has a strong Bednarik history. Dan Connor won it in 2007, Paul Posluszny took it in both 2005 and 2006, and LaVar Arrington earned it in 1999. Last season, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the award, which has been around since 1994.
The award process rolls on later this fall. The Maxwell Football Club will announce semifinalists on Nov. 10, then narrow that field to three finalists on Nov.
- The winner will be revealed during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN on Dec. 10, with the formal presentation set for March 13 in Atlanta.
On the field, Cooper looks lined up to be ready for Penn State’s season opener against Marshall at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 5. He has increased his practice work in recent weeks, and his own timeline sounds optimistic.
"I should be good by the time the season starts," Cooper said Aug. 7.
"I've been waiting so long for this. ACL injury is a long recovery time, so it's been so many months I haven't played football.
I've been ready to get back to it."
Matt Campbell said last week that Cooper is "progressing really well."
At 6-foot and 188 pounds, Cooper brings a decorated college résumé. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2023 and followed that with an honorable mention selection in 2024.
In 2022, he was the conference’s Defensive Freshman of the Year. His career total of 30 passes defended - eight interceptions and 22 pass breakups - is tied for sixth nationally among active FBS players.
Penn State lists Cooper as a safety, but he has also played corner, and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said he has the ability to line up at outside corner in the defense.
His teammates are eager to see what he looks like back in uniform. Safety Marcus Neal Jr. put it plainly earlier this month:
"When he's at his peak, he makes a lot of plays - turnovers, pass breakups," safety Marcus Neal Jr. said earlier this month. "[He can] do it all.
Sacks, tackles for loss. He does it all.
He's a dog. I feel like he's one of the best DBs out there in the nation.
I feel like if the thing that happened last year didn't happen, he would have been probably the best DB, one of the best DBs in the nation at the end of that season because he's that type of player. Game changer, for sure."
Penn State opens its 2026 season against Marshall at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 5.
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