Mizzou football lands Florida defensive end Cooper Davis, who has Lee’s Summit roots

Cooper Davis lived in Lee’s Summit until he was 15, before his family relocated to Florida for his mother’s job. Now he’s coming home.

The 6-foot-7 defensive end committed to play football for Missouri on Sunday, giving coach Barry Odom 11 pledges in his 2020 recruiting class, including seven in June. Davis took an official visit to MU this past weekend and committed without visiting any other schools.

“There was a point during my recruiting that I was open to going anywhere,” Davis told The Star. “But when Missouri offered that was it.”

A three-star recruit, Davis would have attended Lee’s Summit West had he never moved and he has a relationship with former MU center Evan Boehm. Boehm now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. Davis is the second defensive line pledge alongside East St. Louis’ Kevon Billingsley.

Before moving to Florida, Davis visited MU multiple times for games and he went to the 2007 Missouri-Kansas game at Arrowhead. He plans to major in athletic training.

Because of his 6-foot-7 frame, Davis is also used as a tight end at Viera High School in Melbourne, Florida and said he can play all four positions on the defensive line.

Davis’ primary recruiter was defensive line coach Brick Haley, who doubles as a jokester aside from leading “D-Line Zou.” Davis said Haley was a huge reason for his commitment to MU and is looking forward to Haley’s coaching.

“I think he’s a great guy,” Davis said. “I’ve gotten to know him really well.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2019 at 6:49 PM.