Three-star interior offensive line prospect Lyndon Cooper from Carrollton (Ga.) High had a dream of being a Power Five recruit, his high school coach Sean Calhoun explained. Yet until NC State Wolfpack football offered in late-May, Cooper had to wait a while for it to come.

Along the way, Calhoun and his assistants would offer the occasional pep talk for Cooper. They would point out how the athletic, 6-foot-3, 315-pounder with good grades who just turned 17 years old this past Monday at a position of demand like offensive line is sure to get that Power Five offer at some point.

“We told him, ‘You are going to get one,’” Calhoun remembered.

Truth is, Cooper is probably not the type to need that pep talk. If there is one trait about Cooper, Calhoun explained, it is that he is dependable.

“You can depend on him for being a great teammate, you can depend on him in the weight room,” Calhoun said. “He’s a really good student, almost a 3.4 GPA. You can just depend on him to do his job and to do it to the best of his ability.”