Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 38-14@ UConn | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#25
Ricardo Cooper Jr.
Junior defensive back on Maryland's 2026 roster.
5′9″ · 175 lb · Baltimore, MD · Calvert Hall
Returning to Maryland for 2026
The story
3 defensive back on Maryland's 2026 roster.
The record fills in as he plays.
His career, year by yearRicardo Cooper Jr.
Third year in the Maryland secondary, same address the whole way. One game to point at: 1 tackles against UConn — Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Maryland
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Maryland
Played his entire career under Mike Locksley.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Mike Locksley — 10-16 over that span.
2024Maryland4-8HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2025Maryland4-8HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning
2026Maryland2-0HC: Mike Locksley · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Locksley
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Maryland
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Maryland
Returning around him
- 1 Maryland player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (14 in / 16 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Maryland · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #46 · 2026 recruiting class #43
Background
As a Redshirt Sophomore (2025): Saw action in 11 games. Selected as Maryland's Special Teams Player of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. Had four kickoff returns for 71 yards (17.8 yards per return) and two punt returns for eight yards. Returned a kick for 21 yards and made two tackles aga...
The secondary · Maryland
- #2Lavain Scruggs64 tackles · 2025
- #6Dontay Joyner40 tackles · 2025
- #33Messiah Delhomme39 tackles · 2025
- #6Jordan Scruggs32 tackles · 2025
- #25Ricardo Cooper Jr.6 tackles · 2025
14 more on the roster · Maryland team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology