Ball State running back Marquez Cooper enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

Ball State star running back Marquez Cooper has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. Cooper rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season as the Cardinals finished 4-8.

Prior to coming to Ball State, Marquez Cooper was a first-team All-MAC selection at Kent State. He spent three seasons at Kent State playing under former Golden Flashes head coach Sean Lewis.

Lewis spent last season as the offensive coordinator at Colorado, working under Deion Sanders. This offseason, Lewis was hired as the head coach San Diego State.

As for Marquez Cooper, he should provide a big boost to a team’s rushing attack in the 2024 season. Cooper is a proven running back who has been successful at multiple schools.

In 2023 at Ball State, Cooper appeared in all 12 games. He rushed for 1,043 yards on 227 carries. He had four rushing touchdowns. Cooper also caught 18 passes for 163 yards last season.

Cooper signed with Kent State as a three-star recruit in the class of 2020, per the On3 Industry rankings.

He ranked second in the MAC in 2022 with 1,326 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Cooper topped the 100-yard mark four times in 2023 and five times in 2022.

He ranks sixth all-time at Kent State with 2,813 total rushing yards. Between stops at Kent State and Ball State, Cooper has rushed for more than 1,000 yards for three straight seasons.

More on Ball State and the transfer portal

Marquez Cooper isn’t the only big-name Ball State player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

A few other impact players transferred in the past couple of months, including tight end Tanner Koziol.

Koziol committed to Louisville in January after a couple of productive years at Ball State. He was named a Freshman All-American in 2022 by College Football News.

Over two seasons, Koziol logged 69 catches for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns, showing the ability to be a force in the passing game. He’ll immediately help bolster the Louisville passing game.

Prior to enrolling at Ball State, he was a lightly recruited three-star prospect. He was ranked as the No. 2,099 overall recruit in the nation in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He also checked in as the No. 264 wide receiver in the class and the No. 73 overall player in the state of Illinois, hailing from LaGrange Park (IL) Nazareth Academy.