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Published Dec 13, 2022

Anthonie Cooper exits the portal and returns to the Sun Devils

Hod Rabino • ASUDevils

Publisher

@DevilsDigest

Up until some two weeks ago, between players exhausting their eligibility and entering the transfer portal, Arizona State was set to lose its entire starting defensive line. That daunting scenario though did change when one of its first teamers, defensive end Anthonie Cooper withdrew his name from the portal and decided to rejoin his teammates for his last two years of eligibility.

Individuals close to the matter said that a joint effort by two of ASU’s new assistants on staff, defensive coordinator Brian Ward and defensive line coach Vince Amey were able to sway Cooper back into the fold. That tandem was already tasked with the monumental feat of replacing a handful of players in two-deep.

The Sun Devils’ Starting defensive tackles Nesta Jade Silvera and TJ Pesefea exhausted their eligibility, as did second-team defensive end Travez Moore. Starting junior defensive end Joe Moore, junior defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott a sophomore defensive tackle transfer BJ Green have all entered the portal and are not expected to follow Cooper and come back to Tempe.

Last season Cooper, who prepped locally at Goodyear Millennium High School, posted 21 tackles and two tackles-for-loss, both of them for sacks, as well as five quarterback hurries. In 2021, he had 30 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks. He was the defensive lineman who rushed the opposing quarterbacks on more snaps than any other ASU lineman, and while his sack totals don’t reflect it, he was winning more often than not any one-on-one battle he was engaged in.

Cooper’s return makes him the most experienced defensive lineman on the ASU roster, a distinction he may lose to senior Michael Matus, who suffered an ACL tear in preseason camp and consequently sat out the 2022 campaign. Matus has yet to announce whether he will return to play this coming season.

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