Recruiting Roundup: St. Joseph’s Prep’s Malik Cooper commits to Temple, and Pennsauken freshmen Ejani Shakir and Kahlil Ali get offers from the same schools
St. Joseph's Prep, Northeast and Pennsauken all have talented rosters with several players getting Division I interest.
With former Eagles coach and current Chiefs coach Andy Reid capturing his first Super Bowl on Sunday, football season is officially over at all levels.
But the college scholarship offers are still rolling in for high school recruits in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.
Here is a look at the high schools that feature players who have been active with recruiters recently:
St. Joseph’s Prep
Malik Cooper, junior wide receiver
Cooper is likely best known for leading St. Joseph’s Prep to a state championship as the backup quarterback when Ohio State recruit Kyle McCord suffered a knee injury on Nov. 16. Cooper threw a touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and then ran in the winning touchdown against Central Catholic in the state semifinal.
On Sunday, Cooper announced that he has committed to Temple as a wide receiver. In the 2019 state championship game, Cooper threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, to juniors Sahmir Hagans and Harrison, in a victory over Central Dauphin.
“Thank you mom, dad, and the Temple coaching staff for giving me a chance to play at the next level. With that being said.. I AM 1000% COMMITTED TO TEMPLE UNIVERSITY,” he said in a tweet.
In September, Temple was the first school to offer a scholarship to the 5-foot-9, 165-pound receiver. He also heard from William & Mary, Kent State and Toledo.
“He plays with heart,” Harrison said of Cooper after the win over Central Catholic in the state semifinal. "No one is going to play harder than him. He plays with passion, loves the game of football. "
Keenan Nelson Jr., sophomore wide receiver/cornerback
Nelson lined up next to or opposite from Cooper before Cooper moved over to quarterback for the Hawks last season.
Nelson announced on Thursday that he received an offer from Tennessee. A week before, he got an offer from Duke.
The 6-0, 190-pound Nelson also plays cornerback and is up to eight offers that include Temple, Virginia Tech, Miami, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
Imhotep Charter
Rahmir Stewart, freshman free safety
Stewart has an impressive amount of offers for being a freshman. Over the last week, Stewart has been offered scholarships from Toledo, Georgia Tech and Cincinnati.
The 6-0, 185-pound All-Public League safety already had offers from West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Baylor, Maryland and Kent State.
Stewart also upped his total when Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Boston College came calling after the season.
Saint McLeod, junior safety
McLeod, a 5-11 safety, announced on Saturday that he’s committed to West Virginia, according to his Twitter account.
McLeod had a total of 19 offers, most recently from Toledo, Tennessee, Akron, Georgia Tech, Buffalo and Coastal Carolina. They all came in January.
Emir Stinette, sophomore offensive line
Emir Stinette, a 6-5, 330-pounder, received his third scholarship offer, from Toledo, according to his Twitter account. Stinette also fielded offers from Arizona State and Tennessee last week.
Northeast
Elijah Jeudy, junior defensive end
Jeudy, a 6-3, 235-pound four-star recruit, has received offers from Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Miami and North Carolina. He posted a photo on Twitter and described an “amazing visit” to Georgia on Sunday. Other notable offers he has received are from Alabama and national champ LSU.
Ken Talley, sophomore linebacker
Talley received an offer from Tennessee on Thursday. The 6-0, 200-pound linebacker also teased schools by posting photos of himself in Rutgers, Penn State and West Virginia uniforms. He also has offers from Florida and Syracuse.
Tyreek Chappell, junior wide receiver
Chappell announced three offers on Thursday, from Miami, Toledo and Massachusetts. Two days prior, Georgia Tech, Mississippi and Cincinnati all offered scholarships to him. Other notable offers are from West Virginia, Wake Forest and Tennessee.
Zaire McLaurin, junior safety
McLaurin had a big week with his first two offers, from Central Michigan and Cincinnati. The 6-1, 190-pound player was a first-team All-Public and third-team All-City all-star.
Penn Charter
Ty Needham, junior lineman
Needham revealed in a tweet on Thursday that he spoke to Rutgers coach Greg Schiano over the phone, and the conversation ended with a scholarship offer. Needham, 6-4, 275 pounds, also has offers from Massachusetts, Bowling Green and Temple.
Matt Marshall, junior cornerback
Marshall posted a photo of himself in a West Virginia uniform on Saturday. Perhaps he’s giving hints. Marshall, at 5-10, 170 pounds, has offers from the Mountaineers, Baylor, Buffalo, Indiana, Morgan State and North Carolina State.
Pennsauken
Ejani Shakir, freshman wide receiver
Shakir is already off to a great start, and his productivity backs that up. Shakir hauled in 56 receptions for 861 yards and nine touchdowns in his freshman season, according to MaxPreps.
Schools have taken notice because he already has two offers. West Virginia offered Shakir a scholarship in December, and he announced his latest one on Tuesday, from Boston College.
Kahlil Ali, freshman wide receiver
Ali plays all over the place for the Indians. The freshman had 278 receiving yards and three touchdowns, recorded 27 tackles and picked off four passes in 11 games. West Virginia and Boston College must have a pipeline to Pennsauken because they offered scholarships to both he and Shakir at the same time.
Keep an eye on Pennsauken as it’s obviously a team with lots of young talent.