From Atascadero High School to the National Football League, local rookie wide receiver and Greyhound football standout Elijah Cooks just closed the door on his first NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He says he believes where he came from is why he is where he is today.
Cooks finished the season with three catches and four targets for 38 yards. Those three catches came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and were the first of his career.
“I was like, there's no way he’s throwing me the ball," Cooks said, recalling what was going through his head as he received a pass from Trevor Lawrence. "I was like just catch the ball, get the first down. That's all that was going through my head — do my job correctly.”
Cooks joined a core of strong wide receivers and said the veterans took care of the rookies so it made his transition into the league easier.
“My whole life I've been like the main guy," the Santa Maria native said. "So I come into the league, I knew the guys ahead of me. I was going to learn from some great guys. So honestly, just transitioning to learning [how to] understand your role, play your role, and do your role correctly.”
Cooks transferred to Aascadero for his junior and senior years as a quarterback. Coach Vic Cooper utilized him as a utility player. When Coach Cooper positioned him as wide receiver, it stuck throughout his collegiate and now professional career.
“Coach Cooper is the reason I'm in the position I am today honestly," Cooks said. "I transferred to Atascadero with the plans of playing quarterback, and as soon as I got there, he moved me to tight end and wide receiver and honestly, it was the best decision I made my whole life.”
The feeling between both men is mutual.
“The most phenomenal thing about his story is just his travels from getting recruited by Nevada, his injuries that he had to come back from, the medical red shirts, the COVID seasons, and then eventually transferring to San Jose State," Cooper said. "Just his perseverance is what impresses me the most. I knew he had the talent, but the work that he had to put in during college to get to the point where he is now is just phenomenal.”
