Tamarcus Cooley chooses to stay home with NC State commitment

Tamarcus Cooley is staying home. The electric nickelback recruit announced Monday afternoon that he has committed to NC State, fortifying an already-impressive class of 2023 defensive back group for the Wolfpack. 

He realized he was ready to make the decision Sunday. After considering over 20 Division-I offers during his recruitment, Cooley woke up around 6 a.m. that morning and immediately called head coach Dave Doeren.

“I didn’t even brush my teeth, my feet ain’t even hit the ground,” Cooley said. “I just woke up like ‘Oh, I gotta call coach Doeren.’ I yelled it too.

“I woke everybody up.”

After taking official visits to NC State, UNC, Ole Miss and Minnesota, the three-star recruit decided to shut things down, notifying the Wolfpack that he is officially committed. This continues a positive streak of recruiting momentum both in-state and on the defensive side of the ball.

Cooley joins Zack Myers and Brandon Cisse in a defensive back class that is shaping up to be quite impressive. His friendships with the other commits, including quarterback Lex Thomas, helped him decide NC State is the right place for him to be. He is the ninth total recruit in a NC State class that is ranked 41st in the nation.

The Rolesville athlete will be moving just a few miles down the road to join NC State and will likely play nickel for the Wolfpack. Nickels coach Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay was one of the main coaches recruiting Cooley hard, and the defensive back prospect is also close with current NC State nickel Tyler Baker-Williams and other current athletes.

Beyond his relationships with current and future members of the Wolfpack, another main reason he is staying close to home is his younger brother, Tyquon Ferrell. Cooley remaining close by at NC State will give the defensive back the chance to spend quality time with his sibling while he is pursuing his football dreams, something he very clearly values.

Cooley has an older brother, Trevion Cooley, who plays for Louisville, and Tamarcus wanted to make sure his brother had a sibling nearby.

“I want to help him as a person,” Cooley said. “I want to be here for him.

“My little brother, he’s one of the most important parts of this,” Cooley said. “I didn’t want to leave him to be here stranded by himself, so he played a huge role.”

NC State will face Louisville in Raleigh next year, and Tyquon will assuredly be in attendance to watch Tamarcus and Trevion compete.

Cooley has talked to both Doeren and Aughtry-Lindsay about his decision, and both coaches were excited to receive the good news. During his recruitment process, the coaches pitched Cooley on both his role on the field and how they will help him grow off of it.

“They’re just telling me I could be a dominant player and nickelback for them,” Cooley said. “And they can help me develop as a young man, and hopefully I’ll play on Sundays if stuff goes right.”

Cooley made his official visit to NC State in mid-June. Beyond the opportunity to bond further with the coaching staff, his relationships with both uncommitted and committed NC State recruits helped him make his decision.

He talked about the possibility of teaming up with four-star running back Daylan Smothers and three-star receiver Kevin Concepcion, a topic the three of them discussed on the visit, while also sharing the impact three-star quarterback commit Lex Thomas had during the trip.

“Being on an official visit with Lex, of course he’s going to put it in my head to come to State, so he helped a lot,” Cooley said.

Cooley, a 6-1, 185 pound athlete, is the On3 Consensus No. 24 recruit in North Carolina and the sixth in-state commitment of the 2023 class.

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