Little Rock Catholic Class of 2019 QB Cooper Monroe is Ready for Next Level Challenge

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The next quarterback in the pocket for Catholic High School will have some big shoes to fill after the graduation of Andre Sale. Sale missed three games in 2015 after a gruesome elbow injury to his non-throwing arm but came back against doctor’s orders to help lead the Rockets into the playoffs. The 6’2”, 205 pound, quarterback, who could run when needed, took his talents to Tennessee Tech on National Signing Day.

Luckily for the Little Rock squad, the next in line to take the helm for the Rockets is the very capable Class of 2017 Taylor Price and/or Class of 2018 Jake James. If needed, a third quarterback is ready to compete for possible playing time and learn at the varsity level during his sophomore year, Class of 2019 rising star Cooper Monroe.

Monroe put together a solid freshman season passing for 1,266 yards through just 10 games completing 56 percent of his passes while connecting on eight touchdown passes. The growing 6’0”, 170 pounder, proved to be a big play threat averaging 14 yards per completion and a threat in the running game adding another 116 yards on the ground averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

No one is ready to proclaim Monroe the next coming of the super quarterback but when his time comes to lead the Rockets, be-it at the junior varsity or varsity level, the opportunity will not come without countless hours of hard work and determination to be the best he can be at that given time. Monroe has worked for years with former Arkansas Razorbacks All-SEC performer (1998 and 1999) and NFL (Dallas Cowboys 2000-02 and Miami Dolphins 2003) quarterback Clint Stoerner. Monroe is also taking tutelage from another former NFL (New England Patriots – 2003) and CFL (Saskatchewan Roughriders 2004-06) veteran Dennis Gile.

Monroe is one of thousands of high school football players across the country ready to brave the challenges of stepping up a level in his game where the action is quicker, the players are faster, and attention both regionally and nationally intensifies. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Monroe to talk about his freshman season, his offseason workout goals, and got an update on the planned camp circuit he intends to take to learn more about the game and start the process of getting on college coaches’ radars.

Interview

Cooper, you won the starting job for Catholic High’s freshman team. How many quarterbacks did you compete against to win the job?

“There were five of us.”

How was that experience being a starter at quarterback during your freshman year?

“All the games were meaningful game time experience. The main focus was quality reps with all the experience hopefully leading up to playing for the varsity one day.”

When you found out you had won the job, what was that feeling like for you knowing all the extra time you put in to being a better player?

“I felt like all the work was paying off. All the offseason training, it all paid off up to that point.”

Since you are constantly working on your mechanics and craft, what were some of the things you got better at within the scope of the game?

“I felt like I improved every game during the season. The experience of seeing other defenses was great. My confidence started to rise and my stats got better as the season progressed.”

Every quarterback’s favorite pass route to throw is the completed one, but of the different routes CHS runs within their offense, what are your favorites to throw?

“I like the short routes, the slant route, the 10-and-in, and the 10-and-out.”

What are some of your goals during this offseason?

“I want to continue to improve my throwing motion and my mechanics from the feet up. With my weight lifting I want to get stronger and gain about 15 pounds.”

Which quarterback coaches do you work with to help improve your mechanics?

“I’ve worked with Clint Storener for the last six years. I’ve started working with Dennis Gile in Phoenix. He is at the Quarterback Academy and one of Trent Dilfer’s Elite 11 instructors. I’m also working with our head coach, Coach (John) Fogleman. He works specifically with the quarterbacks at Catholic.”

How did the connection with Coach Gile come about for you?

“We fly out there to work with him. We went to Phoenix over Christmas for first time to start the training. We’ll go back over spring break and then again sometime over the summer. The plan is to go out there 2-3 times a year, 2-3 days at a time.

“We met Gile through Connor Noland, He’s Greenwood’s quarterback. We understood that he was working with Gile. He works with a slight group of kids like Kyle Allen, Ryan Kelley and Oregon commit, and Blake Barnett who is at Alabama. We sent him my film and he invited me out.”

What is one of your big strengths right now in your game?

“My footwork is one thing I’ve been very good at so far but I’m still trying to improve.”

How far can you throw the ball right now on a 3-step drop?

“We tried that over Christmas break. I was getting it about 50 yards.”

How has CHS set up the quarterback competition heading into the 2016 season?

“There is a junior, Taylor Price, who is the next guy up. He was Andre’s backup last season and a rising senior. There is also Jake James, he’ll be a junior this year. The competition is open but my focus going in is to compete the best that I can and help the team in any way that I can.”

It is very early but have you started receiving recruiting letters from colleges yet?

“I have received emails from Princeton and Penn. I know some schools have seen my film and I’m getting a lot of letters from colleges but I’m not sure if it’s direct recruiting interest. I’ve received some camp invites. I attended some camps last summer and took some game day visits as well.”

Where did you camp last summer?

“I camped at Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, SMU, and Rice and I camped at Trent Dilfer’s Epic camp in Atlanta. I made game day visits at Auburn, Ole Miss, and SMU.”

How was your trip to Auburn?

“It was fun. It was a lot of fun getting to know the coaches, some of them are from Arkansas. Rhett Lashlee (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach), Coach (Gus) Malzahn (head coach), and Coach (Tim) Horton (running backs coach) are all from Arkansas. Coach (Bobby) Bentley, who left to go to South Carolina as running backs coach, worked with me a lot when I was at the Auburn camp. I had a real good connection with him. I have received an invitation to attend one of Auburn’s camps and to a South Carolina camp because of Coach Bentley.”

*As of Tuesday, Arkansas native Kodi Burns joined Auburn’s staff as co-offensive coordinator and wide receiver’s coach.

What was the game day experience like at Auburn for you?

“It was a great experience. I liked everything about it, the atmosphere of the game was great. We went on the field pre-game which was fun to do.”

How was your visit to Ole Miss?

“That was different than Auburn. We didn’t go on the field, but it was still a really good experience. We were there for their game against LSU. That was a big game for Ole Miss. I think they were also more focused on the 2016 recruits. I did get to talk to some of the coaches after the game. That was fun.”

You camped at Ole Miss last year too right?

“Yes. That was a good experience. That helped me a lot. There were only about 50 kids there. It was late in the camp season but it was great because we got more individual attention. I’m heading back to Ole Miss in a couple of weeks to visit again.”

Which college camps are you going to attend this year?

“Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, and maybe Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Vanderbilt.”

That’s a lot. You should definitely get on a few radars after all of those camps. What about exposure camps? Do you know which exposure camps you will attend?

“I’m not doing the Elite 11 this year but I am going to a Rivals camp and the Rivals Quarterback Challenge. There is an Arkansas varsity combine in May that I might go to and a Salt County Elite 50 combine ran by JJ Meadors (Arkansas Razorbacks).”

Are you playing any spring sports for CHS?

“Baseball.”

How has that gone so far?

“We’ve been practicing a lot so far.”

Which positions are you playing?

“Pitcher and catcher.”

What pitches do you throw?

“A fastball, slider, and a change-up.”

I try to get something in about the classroom. Do you have a GPA you don’t mind sharing?

“I have a 3.1 but I’m looking to raise that this semester.”

What is your favorite subject in school?

“History.”

 

Cooper, thanks for your time today and good luck with all the camps coming up.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Monroe family; Cooper at an Arkansas camp.

Photo credit: Monroe family; Cooper finds a receiver down field.

Photo credit: Monroe family; Cooper receives instruction at an Auburn camp.