Before Mario Cristobal took over in Miami, the Hurricanes had David Cooney as their director of recruiting until 2021. At first glance, the position seems of a backroom support staff and doesn’t look that important. But for Miami, Cooney was their missing link to recruiting in South Florida. Because he didn’t just recruit youngsters, he was cultivating culture and building relationships. And that approach is how the man consistently led Miami to top 15 recruiting classes.
“We gather information and make sure our coaches are not wasting their time with things that aren’t important. Things that aren’t going to make a difference, not just in the recruiting, because we’re far beyond recruiting – we’re relationship builders. That’s what’s going to set us apart,” said Cooney, when he was the director of recruiting at Miami. His recruitment exploits were pivotal and acted as a thumbprint in the region. He had a rare ability to know the players, down to their favourite food and music, which set him apart. But after Mario Cristobal took over, Cooney became the wide receivers’ analyst and excelled even in that.
However, that stint ended in 2024 when Cooney finally got an offer from Bowling Green to be their wide receivers coach. Cooney accepted the offer and left Miami, but the Bowling Green job ended in just 3 weeks after their head coach, Scot Loeffler, departed for the NFL, accepting a quarterback coach position with the Philadelphia Eagles. Cooney expanded on how brutal that phase was and how it reminded him to shift his focus to the “business side” of football.
“I think for me, man, like the Bowling Green situation kind of opened my eyes to some things when it came to just the business of football. I’ve got to carry myself as a businessman as well, just because I’ve always done that, right? I was a position coach for three weeks…I think right now, in my mind, I want to be in an off-the-field role. Director of recruiting, general manager, potentially,” said Cooney in ‘Flo Factory’s’ June 6th episode, where he sat to discuss several things, including his new role. Sometimes it takes a setback to bring clarity, and that’s what Bowling Green did for Cooney.
After Bowling Green’s head coach, Scot Loeffler, left for the NFL, their new head coach, Eddie George, didn’t retain David Cooney. So, the former Miami director of recruiting was let go, and that spiraled into the realization that maybe coaching isn’t for him. David also stressed that the support staff was the role in which he “thrived” in Miami, and it was and still is the “niche” for him. Cooney also acknowledged that, being the director of recruiting, he was “able to spend more time with family,” and that was another reason why he focused on the support staff job. Now, the good news is, Cooney has got a job and will be handling the recruiting side of things at a major program.
Is David Cooney finally joining Mike Elko’s camp at Texas A&M?
If reports hold true, David Cooney will soon be part of Mike Elko’s staff at Texas A&M. As Miami’s director of recruiting, Cooney helped sign top talent from some of the key counties in South Florida. These included counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. His influence was so apparent that in 2020, Miami signed 17 of the 22 commits from these counties, which also included top prospects like Leonard Taylor and James Williams. Now with David coming to the Aggies in a recruiting-related role (per ON3), Mike Elko will unlock a key recruiting base with David Cooney.
David Cooney also shared his excitement about the prospect of being in the SEC and in Texas, which is a recruiting hub. “Coach Ishy [Ishmael Aristide], who was the DB coach down here at Miami. He was a striker’s coach here in Miami, and they had a position open at Texas A&M. So, interview him for that and, you know, hopefully, prayerfully and thankfully, I think I should be joining their staff here pretty soon.”
Surely, David Cooney’s joining Texas A&M will boost their recruiting prowess. Moreover, his work in the receiver room is also notable in Miami. Since last year, Miami has had one of the deepest receiver groups in college football, and Cooney was a big part of that. Hopefully, he finally joins Texas A&M, and Mike Elko can lean on him to hone some of that receiver talent.
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