Jim Cooper Jr. said it's a "cool coincidence" that his father kicked for the Temple football team.
But the younger Cooper, a senior at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, Atlantic County, said that's not the reason he has made a commitment to kick for the Owls, too.
"My dad could have gone to USC or Florida or Alabama and I still would be going to Temple," said Cooper, who made an oral commitment to Temple on Saturday. "I know it's where I want to be."
Cooper was an all-South Jersey kicker last season. He led South Jersey with eight field goals and also had 13 touchbacks.
Cooper is entering his senior season with 24 career field goals. The South Jersey record is 30, set by Lenape's Rob Juliano in 1990.
"He's been so reliable and so clutch for us," Mainland coach Bob Coffey said. "As a kicker and as a kid, he's just great."
Cooper's father also kicked at Mainland and was a kicker at Temple from 1984-87. He's been a kicking coach at Mainland for the last 25 years, according to Coffey.
The younger Cooper said he knew from second grade that he wanted to kick at a Division I program. But he never seriously considered Temple.
"It's kind of a funny story," Cooper said. "I knew my dad went there, but I never really thought about going to Temple. And they really weren't recruiting me that much, either.
"But when they started to recruit me and ask me to come for a visit [in early June], I was blown away by the things they are doing there. I had no idea the campus was that nice, the facilities were that good."
Cooper said Temple's move to the Big East Conference next season from the Mid-American Conference was another reason he anticipates a bright future for the program.
"Temple is going places," Cooper said. "I couldn't see myself anywhere else."
Contact Phil Anastasia
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