Report: Evan Cooper to join Matt Rhule staff in Lincoln

First reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Evan Cooper is reportedly headed to Lincoln to join new head coach Matt Rhule’s staff. Cooper is a longtime recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach under Rhule. Though it is not immediately clear if he will be taking both roles or one in particular at Nebraska, it is assumed he will be playing a role in both positions again.

Cooper has been a longtime staff member under Rhule dating all the way back to his days at Temple. Cooper has spent the past three seasons with the Carolina Panthers as the cornerbacks coach, but was fired on Nov. 7 by interim coach Steve Wilks a month after Rhule was let go.

Cooper started under Rhule as a defensive graduate assistant in 2013 and the director of external operations in 2014. He left to spend six months at the University of Miami with Al Golden in 2015 before returning to Temple as the director of player personnel for two seasons from 2015-2016.

Cooper followed Rhule to Baylor where he spent the first season as director of player personnel during the 2017 season in Rhule’s first season in Waco. Cooper was promoted to an on-field assistant role in 2018 where he assisted on defense with the line and secondary. He worked with the cornerbacks in the final season at Baylor under Rhule, while also serving as the recruiting coordinator all three seasons.

Prior to Temple, Cooper spent two seasons as a student advisor and the defensive backs coach at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Cooper played four seasons at Temple, graduating with a degree in sport and recreation management in 2009.