Awards and Honors:
2023 Maxwell Award Watch List
2023 Preseason Group of 5 All-American by HERO Sports (second team)
2023 Preseason All-MAC (first team by Athlon Sports, Phil Steele College Football Preview, College Football Network and Pro Football Focus)
2022 All-MAC first team

First-team Mid-American Conference running back transfers to Ball State and is expected to anchor the Cardinals balanced RB rotation as a redshirt junior ... head coach Mike Neu on Cooper: "He's a home run threat and a great addition. Great things come in small packages. He's tough and he has good vision through cracks."

PRIOR TO BALL STATE: Played three seasons at Kent State (2020-22) under head coach Sean Lewis … 2022 first team All-Mid-American Conference selection after ranking second in the league with 1,326 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns … his 1326 yards were the fifth-best single season total in program history, while his 13 touchdowns tie for seventh … averaged 132.7 yards per game in league play and had the sixth 240+ yard game in program history with 240 at Ohio (Oct. 1, 2022) … broke 100 yards in five games in 2022, while also rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown at No. 1 Georgia (Sept. 24, 2022) … ranks sixth all-time in Kent State history with 2,813 total rushing yards, including 1,205 in 2021 and 291 in 2020 … the rushing total is currently 24th among active NCAA FBS players … his 29 career rushing touchdowns are fifth in program history … has 13 career 100+ yard games.

HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year varsity letterwinner at Quince Orchard High School … finished his career as the Cougars all-time leading rusher with over 4,500 career yards and 98 touchdowns … his 98 rushing touchdowns are also a Montgomery County record … team captain and MVP as a junior and senior … 2020 Offensive Player of the Year … lead Quince Orchard to the 2018 Maryland Class 4A state championship and a 2019 state semifinal appearance.

PERSONAL: Son of Tania Blassingame and Reginald Green … intends to major in physical education and sports performance.

Marquez Cooper