#20

Quinton Cooley

Former running back at Liberty. 2024: 1,254 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD, 1 catch.

RB · Liberty · Sr. · #20

5′7″ · 220 lb · Bailey, NC

CFB Index 69 · #37 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamLiberty 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

RB recruit

No. 1131 nationally · Signed with Southern Nash

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former running back at Liberty. 2024: 1,254 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD, 1 catch.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Southern Nash in 2020.
Transferred from Wake Forest to Liberty in 2023.
Named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in 2023.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Liberty, 3,057 rushing yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2020

Recruited3-star out of Southern Nash

202314 games

The role got bigger.

Entered the portal
Conference USA Newcomer of the Yearwinner
All-Conference USAfirst

202411 games

All-Conference USAfirst

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1131 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

7 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 1ST TEAM

All-Conference USA 1st team (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2024

2 coaches

2020–2022

Hugh Freeze

Liberty

2023–2024

Jamey Chadwell

Liberty

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Hugh Freeze → Jamey Chadwell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Wake Forest4-5HC: Dave Clawson · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021Wake Forest11-3HC: Dave Clawson · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Wake Forest8-5HC: Dave Clawson · Balanced

2023Liberty13-1HC: Jamey Chadwell · Run-heavy

2024Liberty8-4HC: Jamey Chadwell · Run-heavy

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

69Quality starter #37 of 310?

High confidence13 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: success rate (95th percentile). Strength: rush yards (95th percentile). Concern: receptions (3rd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Success rate#24 / 442 · 95th pct

58.5%

Yards / carry#94 / 442 · 79th pct

6.1

EPA / carry#129 / 442 · 71st pct

0.26

TD rate#142 / 442 · 68th pct

6.0%

Explosive rate#171 / 442 · 61st pct

7.5%

Box-score rates (8)

Rush yards#18 / 335 · 95th pct

1254

Rush TDs#21 / 335 · 93rd pct

Carries#26 / 335 · 92nd pct

205

Yards / carry#42 / 335 · 87th pct

6.1

Long run#172 / 335 · 49th pct

Fumbles lost#157 / 204 · 15th pct

Rec yards#309 / 330 · 7th pct

Receptions#314 / 330 · 3rd pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

74th → 71st percentile

Success rate

91st → 95th percentile

Explosive rate

81st → 61st percentile

Yards / carry

82nd → 79th percentile

TD rate

82nd → 68th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)

Yardage DNA

200 carries

Stuffed (≤0)

30%

Grind (1–3)

45%

Chunk (4–9)

18%

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home6g	122	6.3	1.2
Road5g	104	6.2	1.2

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-75g	109	7.0	1.2
Weeks 8+6g	118	5.6	1.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jamey Chadwell

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

69 · #37 of 310 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #37 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Liberty	205	1,254	6.1	13	--
2023	Liberty	221	1,401	6.3	16	--
2022	Wake Forest	51	246	4.8	3	--
2021	Wake Forest	45	156	3.5	1	--
2020	Wake Forest	--	--	--	--	--
Career		522	3,057	5.9	33	--

Season	Team
2024	Liberty	1	9	9.0	0	--
2023	Liberty	6	43	7.2	0	--
2022	Wake Forest	3	25	8.3	0	--
2021	Wake Forest	1	5	5.0	0	--
2020	Wake Forest	--	--	--	--	--
Career		11	82	7.5	0	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024

W 41–24

vs Campbell

110 rush yds (16 car) · 1 TD

With K. Salter — 242 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 49.1 · 48 rush yds (9 car) · T. Sibley — 5 rec · 109 yds · 1 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 7 · Florida International · 1&1 · Q3 · EPA -6.06Quinton Cooley run for no gain to the FIU 1 Quinton Cooley fumbled, recovered by FIU Travion Barnes T. Barnes return for 0 yds
Week 2 · New Mexico State · 2&2 · Q4 · EPA +3.13Quinton Cooley run for 44 yds for a TD (Kaidon Salter pass to Reese Smith for Two-Point Conversion)
Week 13 · Western Kentucky · 3&1 · Q1 · EPA -2.77Quinton Cooley run for 9 yds to the WKU 36 Quinton Cooley fumbled, recovered by WKU Devonte' Mathews D. Mathews return for 0 yds
Week 4 · East Carolina · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.63Quinton Cooley run for 21 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)
Week 14 · Sam Houston · 4&2 · Q4 · EPA +2.57Quinton Cooley run for 6 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Week 2 · New Mexico State · 2&3 · Q4 · EPA +2.55Quinton Cooley run for 27 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)
Week 12 · Massachusetts · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA +2.53Quinton Cooley run for 6 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)
Week 12 · Massachusetts · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.52Quinton Cooley run for 11 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)
Week 7 · Florida International · 2&5 · Q4 · EPA +2.47Quinton Cooley run for 9 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)
Week 13 · Western Kentucky · 2&3 · Q2 · EPA +2.44Quinton Cooley run for 22 yds for a TD (Colin Karhu KICK)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 41-24vs Campbell	16	110	6.9	1	17
Wk 2	W 30-24@ New Mexico State	12	111	9.3	2	44
Wk 3	W 28-10vs UTEP	6	45	7.5	0	28
Wk 4	W 35-24vs East Carolina	19	105	5.5	1	25
Wk 7	W 31-24vs Florida International	29	174	6.0	2	21	Season-high 174 yds
Wk 9	L 24-27@ Kennesaw State	9	37	4.1	0	13
Wk 10	L 21-31vs Jacksonville State	27	133	4.9	1	17
Wk 11	W 37-17@ Middle Tennessee	24	136	5.7	1	13
Wk 12	W 35-34@ Massachusetts	20	147	7.4	3	27	3 rushing TDs
Wk 13	W 38-21vs Western Kentucky	24	166	6.9	2	24	166-yard day
Wk 14	L 18-20@ Sam Houston	19	90	4.7	0	16
Total		205	1254	6.3	13	44

How he plays

Play style

Built to take 20+ carries per game. Volume is the value.

CFB Index positional classification

Boom vs consistent · carry-yardage shape

Steady, not spectacular

fact

200Carries

1223Yards

12.3%Top-5 share

7.0%Stuffed rate

Just 12.3% of his season rushing yards came on his 5 best carries — remarkably even — and he's stuffed on 7.0% of his carries. 8 carries for 24 yds vs Kennesaw State; 29 for 174 vs Florida International.

Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share

Not actually a closer

checked · no story

39.8%Carry share

24.3%Q4-lead share

100.0%In competitive games

39.8% of carries overall (198/497) → 24.3% of Q4-with-lead carries (17/70) — 100.0% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.

Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration

Who gets the tough yard

fact

15/173rd/4th & short

5/18Inside-5 share