Steve Cooper, who spent four seasons with new UCF head coach Scott Frost at Nebraska, has been named the Knights’ offensive coordinator, Frost announced Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Cooper joins the Black and Gold following a season as an offensive analyst at Boise State, helping the Broncos earn a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and win the Mountain West Conference Championship.
“First off, I want to express my deepest appreciation to Coach Frost for believing in me and offering this incredible opportunity to join Knight Nation as offensive coordinator,” said Cooper. “I’m beyond excited to contribute to this program’s rich tradition of offensive innovation and success. The energy, the passion, and the culture here are unmatched, and I can’t wait to get to work with these talented student-athletes and the amazing Knight community.”
With Cooper’s assistance, Boise State compiled a 12-1 record and earned the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Boise State’s running back Ashton Jeanty is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and leads the nation in rushing yards (2,497) and rushing touchdowns (29).
The Broncos rank fourth nationally in scoring offense (39.1 points per game) and sixth nationally in rushing offense (250.5 yards per game).
Cooper spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Maine, leading the Black Bears to the 10th-ranked passing offense in FCS with 3,081 yards. Under his direction, quarterback Derek Robertson finished the season ranked ninth nationally with 25 passing touchdowns. He ranked seventh in FCS with 2,993 passing yards and set a school record with 503 passing yards against Campbell.
His time at Maine followed four years at Nebraska (2018-22) where he served in various roles including senior offensive analyst (2022), interim quarterbacks coach (2021) and offensive quality control (2018-21).
In that span, Cooper mentored Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez. Under Cooper's guidance, Martinez's 295.1 passing yards per game ranked first among FBS freshmen and 15th overall in the country. His 7,404 total yards marked the fourth highest on Nebraska's all-time list for total yards, while his 64.2 completion percentage was second in Nebraska history.
In 2021, Cooper served as interim quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator where he was responsible for the game plan against Wisconsin and Iowa. During those games, Nebraska averaged 390 yards of offense against a Wisconsin team with the No. 4-ranked total defense and the Hawkeyes, who ranked 13th in total defense.
Cooper spent eight years (2010-17) in various full-time coaching capacities at his alma mater, Portland State. He started as the tight ends coach in 2010 before shifting over to coach the receivers (2011-14) where he guided Kasey Closs to all-conference honors, ranking 13th in FCS in receiving yardage (1,167 yards on 63 receptions).
During his final three years (2015-17) at Portland State, Cooper was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Vikings where his offense scored the second-most points in school history in 2015. That season, he led a dynamic Portland State offense that recorded the largest margin of victory by an FCS school over an FBS program in a dominant 66-7 victory against North Texas. He also mentored quarterback Alex Kuresa to Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
Cooper graduated from Portland State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy and was a two-time letterwinner at wide receiver for the Vikings, taking part in the top-ranked passing offense in FCS for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He was also a two-year member of Oregon State’s football team in 2005-06.