AJ Cooley to Run With Big Boys in El Paso

This week, the Shorter College All-American running back is preparing for the biggest moment in his football life as he will play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 6 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso. Scouts from every NFL team will be in attendance, surveying the talent in hopes of finding their next prized draftee.

I think I`m ready, I just have to go out there and prove it, Cooley said Sunday night after arriving in Texas for the week long event that culminates Saturday with the game at 2 p.m. ET that will be broadcast live by CBS College Sports.

I`m trying to stay in my comfort zone, he said. It`s just another game. There`s no pressure.

The soft-spoken Bowdon native is the lone NAIA player in a game packed with NCAA Division I talent.

Cooley`s new teammates had no idea who he was or even where he came from.

They all ask where Shorter College is, Cooley said. When I tell them it`s in Rome, they say they`ve never heard of it.

Yet those have seen Cooley play are well aware of what the 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back is capable of with his punishing combination of agility, power and speed.

Cooley closed out his record-setting career at Shorter as the school`s all-time leading rusher with 4,111 yards and as the holder of every major Hawks` rushing record.

In addition to being the all-time ground gainer, he holds school career marks with 743 career carries, 50 rushing touchdowns and a 5.5 yards per carry average.

Among his single-season records are the 1,558 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns he compiled in 2008, which resulted in his selection as a Sporting News Preseason All-America prior to the 2009 campaign. Cooley backed up his preseason accolade by rolling up 1,429 yards and 17 TDs while picking up 6.3 yards per rush and averaging 129.9 yards per outing.

Last fall, Cooley ranked second in the NAIA in total rushing for the second straight year, finished third in the country in scoring and fourth in rushing yards per game.

He eclipsed the 200-yard mark three times in 2009, including a school record 255-yard, four-touchdown effort in a win over Belhaven College that earned him NAIA National Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career.

Cooley was named the Mid-South Western Division Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named the school`s first ever American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American and to the College Fanz Sports Network 2009 NAIA Football All-American first team.

As a returner, which Hawks` head coach Phil Jones believes may be the key to his future, Cooley had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2009 and averaged 33.3 yards per return.

I believe he could play, Jones said. He blocks well, catches the ball and obviously runs the ball well, and he can play on special teams which is important on a 53-man roster.

He`s the only NAIA player in the game. That defines how good he is.

To make sure he was ready to go up against players from major football programs, Cooley worked hard with a trainer on a one-on-one basis, improving the rich skills he already possessed in addition to becoming more flexible, faster and quicker.

I`ve run more than I have in my entire life, Cooley said. I was sore for two weeks straight when I started.

In addition, Cooley has been getting used to lining up in a deeper stance behind the quarterback. When he carried the ball for the Hawks` spread option system, Cooley stood two-and-a-half yards behind his signal caller.

On Saturday, he will be four yards deeper.

I actually like it a lot more, said Cooley. I`m deeper now and have a full head of steam. I`m ready to see someone try and tackle me.

Cooley is one of three running backs on the Texas team roster, one that is coached by former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro and University of Tennessee standout Bill Bates.

Former University of Miami head coach Howard Schnellenberger, who guided the 1983 Hurricanes to the school`s first-ever national championship, heads up the Nation squad.

Joining Cooley in the backfield will be Trindon Holliday of LSU and Keithon Flemming of West Texas A&M. The trio will take handoffs from quarterbacks Thaddeus Lewis of Duke, Levi Brown of Troy and Ryan Perrilloux of Jacksonville State and a former starter at LSU.

All told, the game will involve more than 100 Division I-A seniors eager to showcase their talents in front of over 40,000 fans and hundreds of National Football League scouts, who have discovered a wealth of prospects at this event since it was first held in 2007.

In that inaugural game, 79 players signed NFL contracts.

Last February, in the game`s third year, 111 out of the 119 participants went on to sign NFL deals.

I`m not intimidated at all, Cooley said. I`ll find out what I`ll do this week, but my goal is to start and play a good bit.

While Cooley has been gearing up to show his stuff during practice this week, he is also staying busy off the field.

In addition to the daily two-hour practices, both squads are visiting a local children`s hospital and surrounding schools.

Then there is the part fans see on television leading up to the draft - giving the NFL scouts an even larger insight into their potential via fitness testing, being measured and one-on-one interviews.

Our schedule is full, Cooley said. We`re doing something every day. The big thing is that we sit down and talk to scouts from the different teams every day.

All the while, however, Cooley remains focused on the job at hand. By game time on Saturday, Cooley will have a pair of reminders of where he came from - his family that will arrive Friday with his Shorter helmet.

That`s probably one of my favorite things - getting to wear my helmet, said Cooley. It`s been great to have all the support from everyone at Shorter and back home. They may not know how much I really appreciate what they`ve done for me, but I really, really do.

Everyone on the home front will be watching and praying that their Hawk keeps flying.

When I get to see him play in that environment, I`m sure it will sink in that he has a chance to play in the NFL, Jones said. It`s overwhelming and exciting. Right before he left I told him to give it his all and devote himself to being prepared physically and mentally.

He`s had a dream his whole life to do this. It`s great to know he`s got this opportunity.

By Jim O`Hara