LSU Transfer Tamarcus Cooley Has Already Impacted His Community With Kindness

ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

New LSU safety Tamarcus Cooley was driving home after another hard day at practice nine days ago on Burbank Drive between Bluebonnet Boulevard and Lee Drive.

He noticed a woman with thre young children changing her tire on the side of the road. Cooley was on the phone with his mom at the time, and he immediately decided to help the stranded family.

“I just thought of my mom instantly and saw the kids,” he said Friday during player interviews. “I just knew I had to do it. I would want somebody to help my mom.”

Cayla Abad, the woman that Cooley stopped to help, said on Facebook that she had a blowout and was struggling to loosen the lug nuts on the tire.

“He had so many reasons to keep driving past us, and I’m sure he was already exhausted from football practice,” Abad said on Facebook. “He was so kind, patient and thoughtful.”

Cooley had been down this road before.

“That’s not really the first time I pulled over for anybody that broke down on the side of the road,” he said. “I did it a couple of times before this. I did it with my friends at home too.”

LSU’S TAMARCUS COOLEY KNOWS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO NEED HELP

Cooley, a sophomore from the Raleigh, North Carolina, area once needed help, too, and much more than a tire change.

“Right before I went to Maryland, I was struggling in life,” he said. “I was homeless, 17, 18 years old living in my car and the hotel.”

Cooley said he last lived with his mother and family when he was a freshman in high school.

“Just problems, not stable,” he said. “I was staying with coaches and friends.”

Cooley signed with Maryland as a three-star prospect after playing the 2022 football season at Rolesville High near Raleigh as the No. 27 player in North Carolina and No. 77 safety in the country. He got out of his unstable situation through football.

“I just used my talent,” he said. “My talent got me here, so I just took it and ran with it.”

Cooley said he had a mentor that helped him through his daily struggles during his high school years. His words stuck with him.

“He told me there’s always somebody out there going through worse, and that’s really why I think I’m where I’m at today,” Cooley said. “When I went to college, my life changed around.”

He signed with LSU as the No. 4 transfer safety in the country and No. 156 portal prospect overall. He gradually improved over his college career.

After playing in only two games as a reserve in 2023 at Maryland, Cooley sarted nine games and played in 13 at North Carolina State last year. He made 39 tackles with 19 solos, intercepted three passes, forced fumbles, returned a fumble 70 yards, broke up six passes and defended another nine passes. He intercepted two passes on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter in a 26-21 loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl last season.

Cooley does not want the road to stop at LSU as he has dreams of playing in the NFL, fueled by his troubled history.

“I always think about my past, and my past has got me where I am,” he said. “Just keep going, because you don’t ever know what’s ahead of you. So, I think that’s kind of what I did. I just kept going. and I feel like I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my life.”