Terrence Cooks Jr. transfer portal prospects: 3 potential destinations for the TCU linebacker
TCU linebacker Terrence Cooks Jr. has reportedly entered the transfer portal, Pete Nakos reported. He is slated to leave the Horned Frogs after being with the team for three years.
Terrence Cooks Jr. stuck behind a logjam at linebacker at TCU
The former four-star recruit will be on his third program after the portal, previously playing with the Texas Longhorns for his freshman season before his stint with TCU. He has battled some injuries throughout his college career and, when healthy, hasn’t seen much of the field.
Terrence Cooks struggled to showcase his skill on a linebacker corps that features Devan Deal, Marcel Brooks, Cooper McDonald, Namdi Obiazor, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and Johnny Hodges, who all accounted for 14.5 of the team’s 23 total sacks this season.
Terrence Cooks will look to land in a situation where he can see the field and show the potential he has that made him a two-time Texas district honoree when he came out of Pearland, Texas. He has one year of eligibility remaining in his college career.
Cooks spent his entire first season on the injured list after suffering a season-ending injury in training camp. He has played in 12 games since then, putting up unremarkable numbers of seven total tackles. He only appeared in one game while in Texas, failing to record any stat. Playing time is the most important thing for him at this point, and here are potential landing spots where he can be a contributor.
#1 Houston Cougars
Terrence Cooks first played in Austin with the Longhorns, then in Fort Worth with the Horned Frogs, so it makes sense for him to choose another Texas program. His hometown is in Pearland, which is around a twenty-minute drive away from the University of Houston, so this is a good choice if he wants the comfort of home.
In addition, Houston will have a lot of senior departures to their linebacking corps, most notably Michael Batton, Jamal Morris, and Brandon Mack, who accounted for seven of the twenty sacks Houston tallied this season. If Cooks decides to transfer here, he will have a readymade role for him to come in and contribute right away.
#2 Auburn Tigers
Auburn is another team with a whole host of seniors in their linebacking group leaving after this season to try their luck in the pros. Eugene Asante, one of their anchors on defense, along with Jalen McLeod, will be the names coming out of Auburn who will be prominent once the draft season rolls around. Dorian Mausi Jr., Fa’Najae Gotay, and Austin Keys will also be departing after this year.
Fortunately, the cupboard will not be entirely bare, as defensive lineman Keldric Faulk and linebacker Demarcus Riddick will still be with the team, so Terrence Cooks will not have the pressure to be the main guy on defense. Auburn ranks middle of the pack on defense this season, so they will look to add a bunch of parts to try to solve their defensive woes.
As a potential bonus, he will be playing at the most competitive conference in college football, the SEC, so if he has NFL aspirations, he may get to showcase what he can do.
#3 Florida State Seminoles
Florida State had a very miserable 2024 season after being atop the ACC for the past two seasons, going for a 2-10 record, and in eight of those losses, they allowed at least 24 points to their opponent. The Seminoles also ranked at the bottom or near the bottom of the ACC on almost every defensive stat.
With a linebacking corps filled with freshmen and sophomores, Terrence Cooks could potentially come in and show these young players the ropes, being that veteran presence they need to try and turn their fortunes around.