NU coaches optimistic about Cooper's status
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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
Khiry Cooper hasn’t reached a verdict regarding his immediate athletic future, but he’s in a good spot as far as Nebraska coaches are concerned.
The wide receiver recruit has been in Lincoln since Monday, dipping his feet in the college experience even as he ponders whether or not to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Angels drafted the 6-foot-2, 180-pound dual-sport talent from Shreveport, La., in the fifth round last Thursday. Such a slot in the draft could potentially earn Cooper somewhere around a $150,000 signing bonus.
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While weighing the decision, Cooper has enrolled in classes at the university.
“Khiry Cooper, he’s here, he’s in class,” Husker coach Bo Pelini said Monday. “They have until Aug. 15 to keep negotiating with him. They’re doing that. But I think it sends a pretty strong message as to what his intentions are. He’s here, he’s in class. He’s working out.”
Pelini said he thinks Cooper has a certain dollar amount in mind that the Angels would have to reach in order for him to sign.
If he stays at Nebraska, it is also a huge score for the Husker baseball team, which could acquire Cooper’s skills as a center fielder.
Pelini is in full support of Cooper playing both sports at NU.
“I’ve had a number of guys (play two sports),” Pelini said. “It’s good for them. It’s good for their overall development if they can do it. There’s just not a lot of guys that can do it.”
Pelini awaits word on Williams
Pelini is still waiting to see if defensive end recruit Josh Williams (Denton, Texas) clears a legal issue in time for fall camp.
Williams was accused of robbing a man of $900 in April, but some in the Husker camp believe the whole story hasn’t been brought to the surface.
“From all information we’ve gathered, we thought it would have been resolved by now,” Pelini said. “But unfortunately it’s buried underneath a stack of papers. But it sure seems like it’s going to be favorable.”
Pelini said he anticipates Williams will be here by August, “but once again, you never know with the legal system.”
Recruits who aren’t on campus yet besides Williams include offensive lineman David Grant, defensive back Justin Rogers, cornerback David Whitmore and wide receiver Antonio Bell. Some of those players have grade issues.
Christensen status unchanged
Pelini said offensive lineman Andy Christensen is still indefinitely suspended from the team. He was arrested in March on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault.
“The legal system, the facts, that has to play out,” the coach said. “I don’t base myself on what I hear from second-hand information. Give me all the information and we’ll make the decision. And we don’t have all the information yet.”
Christensen has a pre-trial motions hearing set for Friday afternoon. The trial is slated to start in late August.
Senior tight end Hunter Teafatiller, meanwhile, is still on the team but paying in-house punishment after picking up another DWI last week. He was also arrested twice on suspicion of drunken driving within a three-week period in 2007, though he was not prosecuted in the first case.
“He’s been disciplined and he will be disciplined,” Pelini said.
“I’m not one that budges off my beliefs. It’s about the team. It’s about the university. It’s about the athletic department.
“At the end of the day, talent wins. You have to have good talent and we understand that that’s necessary. But you got to have good people and you have to be preparing them for life after football. ... No matter how good you are, whether you’re the first guy on the depth chart or the last, everyone’s going to be held to the same accountability.”
Pelini said there are a couple kids — not scholarship players — who have been let go since spring ball, but he didn’t name them.
Blue's slow recovery
Husker sophomore cornerback Anthony Blue is facing a difficult recovery from a torn ACL suffered before spring ball, Pelini said.
The coach said junior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is doing "great" in recovering from his knee injury. But Blue apparently suffered a tougher break.
Asked about Blue maybe being back by the fall, Pelini said: "One thing I’ve found out is, you obviously want them both back, but you have to make sure they’re both fully recovered
Unity Council revived
The Huskers have voted on the players who will represent the team on the Unity Council, a group that periodically meets to address any issues within the team.
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne was always a big proponent of the Unity Council as a coach. Frank Solich’s teams used it. But it wasn’t around the last four years under Bill Callahan.
“It will be about a once-a-week thing,” Pelini said. “I think it will be productive.”
The coach listed quarterback Joe Ganz, wide receiver Todd Peterson and linebacker Phillip Dillard as some of the guys heading it.
“To have them take responsibility, to have leadership, to take leadership roles, to have a voice,” Pelini said what he hopes the Unity Council provides. “Ultimately the final decision will be made by me and the staff. They understand that. But we wanted to give them a voice.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
