Starting as a high school quarterback from Sterling, Cooper Willman has grown into an all-conference wide receiver.
Willman began playing football because of his brother Tyler Willman, as he wanted to follow the same path as him.
They both played at the Pop Warner level in the Northern Illinois Youth Tackle Football league for the Sterling Golden Warriors when Willman was eight years old. He played quarterback, running back and safety but enjoyed quarterback the most because he always had the ball in his hands.
Willman was a multi-sport athlete playing baseball and basketball along with football. He played shortstop for Team Easton, a travel baseball team based out of Chicago and was a shooting guard in basketball in a recreational league.
He played running back for half of his freshman year of high school, before switching to quarterback. Willman had an opportunity to play baseball at Eastern after talking to an EIU coach at his baseball tournament in Indiana his senior year. But, the coach wasn’t on campus.
After having success during his senior year football season, Willman decided to solely focus on football over baseball. He thought about the pros and cons of playing either sport.
“I felt that with my athletic ability that it would be a disservice to myself to not to really use the full potential and go play a sport that demands such athleticisms like football,” Willman said. “So, I really wanted to take a shot. More coaches were recruiting me for football, and I loved football forever.
The first coach to reach out to Willman for football was from Santa Cloud State, but after two weeks of talking, the coach didn’t respond anymore which caused frustration for Willman.
Junior year of high school was when Eastern started looking at Willman. Former Eastern coach Benny Boyd recruited him because of connections with family friends and the principal at Willman’s high school. Willman got an official offer from Eastern during January of his senior year.
He also received offers from Augustana University, McKendree University and North Central College. Willman narrowed down his list to Eastern, North Central and McKendree.
A day after leaving a visit at Eastern, Willman was on a drive to McKendree when he decided to commit to Eastern as a walk-on..
Eastern was the only Division I offer that Willman had. McKendree is Division II and North Central is Division III. They wanted Willman as a quarterback while Eastern wanted him as a receiver, and he was up for the challenge.
“I felt like EIU was the most straight up with me, they were telling me the truth, how it’s going to be. I really like the people here, the coaches, the place, Charleston reminds me a lot of my hometown,” Willman said.
Before Willman could get on campus for his freshman year, Boyd left Eastern to take a job at Wyoming.
In today’s world of college football, when a coach leaves a school, players typically follow behind but Willman didn’t commit just because of the coach.
“Playing a different position, I accepted that it’s going to be difficult, but I wanted to bet on myself and prove that I can come in here, take my time to develop, and trust the process,” Willman said. “Then eventually earn a scholarship and continue to work my way up the depth chart. In my mind I wanted to take on that challenge and that’s why I ended up staying.”
Willman had a chip on his shoulder because the new receivers coach didn’t recruit him, so he had to build trust with the new staff.
Willman played in all six games his first year with the Panthers on special teams. He then played in 11 games his second year and got his first start at receiver finishing with 11 receptions for 108 yards.
He solidified himself as a special teams guy by ending his freshman year as the starting holder and being on kick and punt returns. Willman got his chance at receiver his second year, after a couple of players got hurt against Illinois State.
Going into Willman’s sophomore season with the Panthers, head coach Chris Wilkerson was hired. Willman connected with him right away because of him being a family man and a good person outside of football.
“Meeting him for the first time, you could sense that right away, it was an awesome feeling to meet him and be like, this is our head coach, a guy that I can actually go talk to and not be afraid,” Willman said.
Willman was named to the second team All-Ohio Valley Conference at punt returner and ranked first in the OVC and 24th in the Football Championship Subdivision in punt return average.
“It was something special to receive that award because in high school as a quarterback, you’re not a punt returner or on any special teams,” Willman said.
After becoming an all-conference special teams player, Willman played in four games and redshirted due to an injury during the 2023 season in which the Panthers went 8-3. Willman said it was a special season but it was disappointing when the Panthers were one of the first teams not chosen for the playoffs by the FCS playoff committee.
“It was definitely like a low blow, it sucked for sure but then, it was more fuel to just come back and believe in ourselves and get to that point where we win the conference and there’s nothing they can do because we have an automatic bid,” Willman said.
Because of the redshirt rule, Willman would have been eligible to play in the postseason.
In the 2024 season, Willman set the single game receiving record in EIU history with 291 yards against Gardner-Webb, he added three touchdowns as well.
“I was getting really frustrated because I was winning a lot of routes, getting open a lot and just the way the game went, the ball wasn’t going my way and as a receiver, you’re a little bit of a diva,” Willman said. “You want the ball a ton. I remember coming in at half and just trying to compose myself, knowing that if I continue to go out there, win my one-on-one matchup, Pierce is going to find me.”
Willman became the 35th receiver in EIU history to record a 1,000 receiving yard season. He was honored as 1st team All-Big South-OVC wide receiver.
Going into this season, he was named a team captain after this past spring game.
“It’s truly an honor to be a captain of a college football team, we are the 2% of athletes and it’s really awesome to know that this whole team trusts me, as one of the guys that’s going to lead us,” Willman said.
Growing up, Willman always thought he would be a quarterback at the collegiate level. He has turned into an all-conference receiver that has left an impact.
“He is a guy that has been here the entire time, has seen some down things and has seen some good things but, the one thing that has been consistent is his dedication, his effort and his passion for Eastern Illinois and our football program,” Wilkerson said.
Offensive Coordinator Kyle Derickson has seen Willman grow ever since he arrived in 2022 on Wilkerson’s staff.
“He’s been one of the hardest workers on the field, in the weight room and in the film room. Due to effort and maturity, it is not a surprise that he has developed into an all-conference receiver and punt returner. The players that push themselves daily, put their head down and just work with maximum effort typically turn out to be your best players and or leaders. It has been an honor for me to be a part of that journey and watch it all unfold.”
Willman’s goal, he says, is to leave the football program a better place and not have any regrets.
Cameron Thomas can be reached at 581-2812 or at cathomas8@eiu.edu.
