Ever dream about spending your summer traveling the country, enjoying the scenery and attractions and doing it on someone else’s dime? Well, it’s been that kind of summer for Fort Gibson junior Cooper Hackett, a VYPE TOP 100 pick and one of the most sought-after high school linemen in the country. He’s spent a lot of the summer going to some of the 18 colleges that have made him offers so far-and remember, he’ll just be a junior. “It’s all been kind of surreal,” said the 6-7, 260-pound Hackett who, as you might expect, also plays basketball for the Tigers. “One day I just Googled myself and saw I was a four-star prospect so I’m good with that and the plan is to follow it through all the way to the NFL someday.” Among the colleges that are vying for Hackett’s services are OU, Texas Tech, OSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Penn State to name a few. “This summer I’m visiting the ones I’m most interested in and that have taken the time to come and see me, and I might make a decision before the end of the summer.” Cooper comes from a line of accomplished football players. “My grandpa and his brother were both All State football players here and my dad played at Muskogee and then at Missouri,” said Hackett. “Cooper is a five-star lineman who plays tackle on offense and end on defense. On offense he uses his length to his advantage in pass protection and has a physically dominant mindset to move defenders,” said his coach, Ryan Nolan. “He is a freak athlete and one of the nicest kids you’ll ever talk to.” Once his summer travels are done, Hackett will focus on the Tigers upcoming season which he’s looking forward to. “I think we’ll be pretty good. Our line may be one of the best around with me and Stevie (Vafeas), Zac Cushman, Davis Perkins and (Hilldale transfer) Kaiden Ford all having played with or against each other for a long time.” Cooper says his goal this year is just to be consistent the whole season. He’s looking forward to this year’s match up with Wagoner who beat them handily last year and going deep in the playoffs in 2025.
