Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Pharoh Cooper

Pharoh Cooper (2013-2015) was one of those athletes that you just had to put the ball in his hands and see what happens. The former South Carolina and NFL wide receiver gave fans a lot of thrills, and the member of the 2024 South Carolina Association of Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame class said he got chills before every home game at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“Hearing sandstorm right before kick-off, it always gives me goosebumps,” said Cooper. “It never gets old.

“(Athletics Director) Ray Tanner called me about the Hall of Fame, and I thought he was going to congratulate me on my (NFL) retirement. I was surprised and excited. I didn’t know what to say. It was a shock and big honor.”

The North Carolina native could have gone a lot of places, but he wanted to play in the SEC. It was also good fortune that put him on offense.

“At the time, I wanted to play defensive back because of the track record they had with all the DBs at South Carolina,” Cooper said. “That was something I wanted to be a part of. We were pretty stacked at DB. I was catching punts, and I was talking with the defensive backs coach at the time, and he said they were probably going to redshirt me at defensive back. Then Coach (Steve) Spurrier told me to come over to the wide receiver room, and that he might put me in the Wildcat. I played receiver throughout high school. It was an easy transition, and it ended up paying off in the long run.”

Cooper was a two-time First Team All-SEC receiver and was also honored twice as an all-purpose back. Seeing his incredible abilities, the coaching staff made the most of his talents as he caught 18 touchdown passes, had four rushing TDs, and also threw for four scores.

“I just wanted to have the ball in my hands somehow,” Cooper said. “Throwing the ball was fun! That Wildcat stuff was pretty fun, whether I ran it or passed it or ran some sort of trick play.”

Playing at South Carolina gave him the chance to chase his dream of playing professionally.

“It’s the SEC, so you always have attention on you,” said Cooper, who recently finished his degree in Liberal Arts at South Carolina online. “You’re always in the spotlight. It helped me get ready for the next level. Academically as well, I met some great professors and teachers. It was a great deal all around.”

Cooper was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2016, and he was a first-team All-Pro return man in his second season, leading the NFL with a 27.4-yard average on kickoff returns. He spent time with the Rams, Cardinals, Bengals, Panthers, Jaguars, and Giants during his seven-year pro career. He decided to retire at the age of 29 earlier this year. Stepping away from the game wasn’t too difficult.

“It became more of a mental thing,” said Cooper, who now lives in Charlotte. “At my age, you understand how the NFL works. It’s a business, and you understand how the numbers work. It came down to whether I could keep going and risk my body with all the unknowns that go into training camp and what not.

“Now I’m a full-time real estate investor. Some of it is residential, and some of it is commercial. We find fix and flip homes, rehab homes, fix and flip apartments, and things like that.”

Cooper is engaged to Lanae Dedeaux, and while he hasn’t been back to campus in a few years, he is looking forward to coming back for Hall of Fame weekend on November 1.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and watching the boys play,” Cooper said. “It will be great to see the atmosphere. My fiancée has never been down there. It will be fun to be around the Gamecock family again. I’m sure (Sandstorm) will give me goosebumps again. I’m sure it will.”