The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2025 season in 62 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 62 - redshirt freshman offensive lineman Cooper McMullin - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He's a California guy
McMullin played his high school ball at San Marcos High School in Carlsbad, California. His Hudl highlights show him playing left tackle and pretty much physically dominating every unfortunate soul he went up again. But that's the beauty of highlight reels - they only show the highlights.
Cooper's X feed also shows that back in high school he was a good rugby player and received some national attention in helping his team go undefeated back in 2020 and win a championship.
Proud to be named one of the weeks National Rugby Gamebreakers. Grateful to have fought with the team and bring home the championship! pic.twitter.com/dMdNfR5YKR
— Cooper McMullin (@McmullinCooper) February 20, 2020
Fun fact No. 2 - He was a preferred walk-on
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound lineman wasn't a nationally coveted recruit. He didn't have a profile or any star rankings at 247 Sports, and he ultimately joined BYU's class of 2021 as a walk-on. He announced his commitment on X but there are not indications he received a scholarship. He's also a redshirt freshman this year so there's an assumption he spent a couple of years away from the program (e.g. a mission or something else), but I can't confirm online the exact reasons.
Fun fact No. 3 - His father had an impactful reason to quit playing at BYU
Cooper's father, Cade McMullin, played football at Rick's College then transferred to BYU. In 2003 it was reported he stepped away from the team to "provide for his family's needs." Like Cooper, Cade was a walk-on at BYU and battling for a scholarship. Coach Gary Crowton ultimately decided he couldn't extend a scholarship to Cade so he left the team to "get a job" and provide for his family. Cade's 2002 BYU player profile specifically mentions his one-year-old son, Cooper.
That's a noble thing for Cade to have done over 20 years ago. Let's hope Cooper can build on the sacrifices his father made and carve out a long, successful career in Provo.