Enos, Watts happy with freshman quarterback Cooper Rush’s growth

Freshman quarterback Cooper Rush doesn’t say much in the locker room.

But on the field, he lets his play do the talking.

Passing-game coordinator Morris Watts said Rush is quiet around his teammates, but that does not prevent them from noticing how well he can throw the ball.

“Coop doesn’t say much, but they really like him,” Watts said.  “And our whole football team, when they started seeing him throw the ball, started saying he can really throw it. He just gets the ball there and it’s on target.”

The 6-foot-3-inch, 216-pound quarterback will be redshirted this season, but Watts said it is comforting to know Central Michigan has another young quarterback waiting in the wings.

“It’s always great,” he said.  “Anytime you get a good freshman recruit coming in and you look at him and say, ‘hey, we’re getting what we thought we were getting,’ then it’s a good feeling.”

The Chippewas recruited Rush out of Lansing Catholic High School where he led his team to a 13-1 record and a state runner-up finish in 2011.

He was a three-year starter and finished his high school career with 7,248 passing yards and 80 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 1,438 yards and 27 touchdowns.

“He can flat out throw the ball,” head coach Dan Enos said. “I can only imagine four years from now when he’s got his strength and he’s 230-pounds. He’s got great mechanics, great touch; he’s very accurate.”

Rush said he is feeling more comfortable every day and is getting acclimated to the college game.

“I’m just starting to get the hang of things,” he said.  “As a freshman, just trying to come in and learn and learn and learn, and right now, to keep improving every day is important.  And through camp, I definitely think I got better.”

The other quarterbacks have also played a role in his development.

“Those guys have been really helpful,” Rush said.  “All the quarterbacks are really good guys, and we all kind of help each other out.”

Enos said Rush has not been the only freshman the coaching staff has been impressed with.

“We think we rang the bell again with another outstanding recruiting class with not only some talented young players but some very good young men as well,” Enos said at CMU media day.  “Obviously, we’re not going to have to have ten of them play this year like we did last year because of where we are as a program, but I’ve been very impressed with the ability that they’ve shown, their ability to learn what we are doing and also their ability to compete.”

The Chippewas will get a week off before traveling to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on Sept. 22.