Evan Cooper

Biography

Evan Cooper, an NFL and college coaching vetern, enters his second season as Florida State's safeties coach in 2026 after being hired on December 7, 2024. A Miami native who attended American Heritage, Cooper brings more than a decade of coaching experience and reunites with FSU defensive coordinator Tony White, who he was with at Nebraska in 2023, and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, his college teammate and fellow coach with the Carolina Panthers and at Nebraska. In his first season at Florida State, the Seminoles ranked second in the ACC with 190.8 passing yards per game allowed, a top-30 mark nationally. FSU held seven opponents under 200 passing yards and ended the season with three consecutive games allowing less than 200 yards. Cooper's safeties tallied seven interceptions, with second-team All-ACC selection Earl Little Jr. catching four and Edwin Joseph grabbing three. Little led FSU with 76 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles and was one of two players in the ACC with at least 75 tackles and four interceptions on the season. Little, Joseph and safety Ashlynd Barker all made their first career starts in Cooper's first game at Florida State, a 31-17 win over No. 8 Alabama. Barker's 48 tackles were second on the team and he finished with 3.5 sacks on the season, the third-most for an FSU defensive back over the last 20 seasons. Florida State was one of nine teams nationally to have at least three players with three interceptions. Little's four inte