South Jordan • Brayden Cosper seemingly had a ton of advantages for a high school junior wanting to go on to play collegiately.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver had size, good hands, jumping ability and quickness.
And it helped that he played for a premier program like Bingham High School.
Cosper proved instrumental in helping the Miners win the Class 5A state championship last year then followed that by aiding the boys’ basketball team in its run to a state title.
So attention hardly should have been lacking.
But Cosper found himself without an offer to play in college just a few months ago.
That all has changed now.
“Last year, I didn’t have any scholarship offers, the Bingham senior said. “It was just something I was working toward. This summer I was able to work really hard, get to camps, get those opportunities — and then I committed to BYU.”
Cosper said it all began to change when Weber State offered him a chance to play football. Then came the service academies. Both Air Force and Navy decided that a guy like Cosper would be a good thing.
He got one more offer to play locally at the end of June, and he jumped on it. Even if it was the rival of his favorite team growing up.
“It’s gonna be weird. It’s gonna be crazy,” Cosper said about donning a blue jersey and lining opposite from red in some future clash. “Growing up watching the rivalry and always cheering for the opposite side.”
Cosper came up big in some of the Miners’ most important games last season. He caught four passes for 166 yards against Lone Peak during the regular season before reeling in a 22-yards touchdown reception just before half to cut into a 10-0 deficit and swing momentum back to Bingham against Lone Peak in last year’s championship. As if he hadn’t inflicted enough pain on Lone Peak, he played a key role in the Miners’ knocking off the Knights in the 5A state title game, which added to his unlikelihood of ever winning a popularity contest at the Highland school.
EAST AT BINGHAM <br>When • 7 p.m. Friday <br>TV • KMYU
The football field is where Cosper earned his scholarship offer. And he’ll be needed in Friday’s game against East, the top-ranked team in the state. He only caught one pass for 9 yards in the opening-week win over Orem.
“The matchups we can create are varied,” Bingham coach John Lambourne said about Cosper. “He’s not just a big kid. He moves real well, too. That puts him in the upper echelon in this state, absolutely.
Lambourne has watched Cosper’s growth and knows the headaches he can create. That’s why he wasn’t worried when the college offers didn’t come pouring in right away.
“I knew it would only be a matter of time where he would impress enough and get some offers,” Lambourne said.
And with his future after this year secure, Cosper can focus on the task at hand — facing the Leopards.
“How could you not be excited for this game?” he asked.
WEEK 2 SCHEDULE <br>Thursday <br>Jordan at Syracuse <br>Friday <br>Altamont at Lyman (Wyo.), 4 p.m. <br>Grantsville vs. Minico (Idaho) at Idaho State, 5:30 p.m. <br>Lone Peak at Dixie <br>Desert Hills at Salem Hills <br>Springville at Spanish Fork <br>East at Bingham <br>Payson at Carbon <br>Cedar City at Juab <br>Rock Point (Ariz.) at Whitehorse <br>Stansbury at Taylorsville <br>Woods Cross at Alta <br>Ogden at Preston (Idaho) <br>Morgan at South Summit <br>Westlake at Provo <br>Box Elder at Bear River <br>Kanab at Beaver <br>Monticello at Wayne <br>Layton at Highland <br>Mountain View at Timpanogos <br>West Jordan at Kearns <br>Weber at Roy <br>Maple Mountain at Uintah <br>Park City at Logan <br>Layton Christian at American Leadership <br>Wasatch at Mountain Crest <br>Sky View at Tooele <br>Bountiful at Hunter <br>Hillcrest at Brighton <br>West at Cyprus <br>Ridgeline at Snow Canyon <br>North Sanpete at Union <br>Gunnison Valley at North Sevier <br>Olympus at Granger <br>Grand County at Montezuma-Cortez (Colo.) <br>White Pine (Nev.) at Milford <br>Parowan at Millard <br>Cottonwood at Clearfield <br>Summit Academy at Emery <br>Duchesne at North Summit <br>Pine View at Lehi <br>Judge Memorial at Juan Diego <br>Timpview at American Fork <br>Manti at Delta <br>Bonneville at Northridge <br>Pleasant Grove at Fremont <br>South Sevier at Richfield <br>Herriman at Helix (Calif.) <br>Rich at Bear Lake (Idaho) <br>Viewmont at Davis<br>San Juan at Bayfield (Colo.) <br>Copper Hills at Ben Lomond <br>Christian (Calif.) at Hurricane <br>Skyridge at Murray <br>Riverton at Corner Canyon <br>Canyon View at Virgin Valley (Nev.) <br>Green Canyon vs. Shelley (Idaho), 8:15 p.m. <br>Saturday <br>Sutter (Calif.) at Orem, 4 p.m. <br><br>* — All games at 7 p.m. unless indicated