Helfet Fitting Right In

DURHAM, N.C. – Cooper Helfet is not really a tight end.

Oh, that’s where the 6-4, 235-pound junior is listed on the Duke roster. And he sometimes does line up in the traditional tight end spot -- on the offensive line, alongside a tackle. But watch No. 81 carefully the next time the Blue Devils are in action. You’ll also see him lined up wide, like a wide receiver. You’ll see him in the slot or at wingback. There may be a few times when Helfet starts out as an I-formation fullback. He’ll probably go in motion when that happens … usually, but not always.

“They move me around a lot and try to find ways that my ability can help out the passing game,” Helfet said.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe has another name for the pseudo-tight end.

“He’s a playmaker. Everybody uses the term playmaker and sometimes we confuse that with ability,” Cutcliffe said. “Playmakers are guys who like being put on the spot. He likes being put in that position. That’s one of the big reasons I went the junior college route with Cooper. When I went out and met him out in California, I could see that he was our kind of guy.”

Helfet gave insiders a taste of his potential during preseason, when he sparkled in Duke’s first two scrimmages. He was just completing the longest play of the second scrimmage – a 61-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Sean Renfree – when his Duke debut was put on hold.

“I had a long catch down the middle,” Helfet said. “I kind of got chased from behind and tried to split two people at the end. Somebody landed awkwardly on the back of my foot and I strained a tendon.”

The injury looked more serious than it was as Helfet was carted off the field. Luckily, nothing was broken or torn. But the foot problem limited his work for the next two weeks and forced Cutcliffe to hold his new weapon out of the opener against Elon.

Helfet finally made his first appearance in a Blue Devil uniform last weekend at Wake Forest. And he made that debut a memorable one -- his first Duke catch was a nine-yard touchdown reception from Renfree.

“Cooper just has a knack,” Cutcliffe said. “I like him being somewhere around me in practice and somewhere around me during games. He’s my kind of guy when it comes to competing.”

Helfet is just happy to be regaining his health – and his speed. He confessed that the preseason injury set him back.

“It was very frustrating,” he said. “Now I’m kind of getting back in the flow of things. Last week was a slow start, but moving through the week, I got better and got back into the rhythm. The game went pretty well and I’m feeling pretty solid and back to 100 percent now.”

A 100-percent Helfet is a unique weapon.

“He went through a learning curve in the spring, but you can just see what his potential is – tight end size and wide receiver fast,” Cutcliffe said.

“He’s a threat down the field.”

A RARE JUCO RECRUIT
Helfet’s convoluted – and unusual – path to the Duke campus is a fascinating story. The Blue Devils rarely go the junior college route, but just as Helfet isn’t an ordinary tight end, he’s not an ordinary junior college player either.

In fact, Helfet’s journey to Duke actually started on the lacrosse field at Redwood High School in Kentfield, Calif.

“In high school, I played football, basketball and lacrosse,” Helfet said. “Football was always my favorite sport. Then during my junior year of football, I hurt my back. I had some stress fractures in my back and that kept me out my whole junior season, so that killed my recruiting for football. It healed up by the start of basketball season, so I got into basketball and I had a real good lacrosse season my junior year.

“I got invited to play for the USA West lacrosse team my junior summer and went on a tour of Australia. I made it back for senior football camps. My senior year, I had a pretty good [football] season. But I was hurt that season too and missed three games in a row with an arm injury. I thought I had a really good season. I lot of people wanted me as a preferred walk-on – an invited walk-on for a bunch of D-1 football teams. Then I got a bunch of Ivy League and D-1AA football offers.

“But I kind of wanted to play a D-1 sport, so I was in touch with a couple of top lacrosse schools. Then I got in touch with Coach [Dave] Pietramala at Hopkins. It was actually pretty late in the process. I think he took me as more of an athlete than necessarily a lacrosse player. He put me at defense … I had always been attack, but he put me at defense.”

Helfet’s admission to Johns Hopkins is a pretty good indication of his academic credentials. His parents were delighted by the cross-country trip to the prestigious Baltimore university. But it didn’t take the young athlete long to learn that he was not a lacrosse player at heart.

“All the kids on that team were great,” he said. “The coaches were awesome there. But my heart was really in football and to play a D-1 sport, you’ve got to be passionate about it.”

Helfet realized that he still wanted to be a football player. He talked to his high school quarterback, who was playing at Santa Rosa Junior College, one of the powers in the two-year ranks.

“His coach had seen me play in high school, because he came to watch the quarterback and he always thought I was a prospect,” Helfet explained. “So I talked to him on the phone and I saw him when I went over there after Christmas break and he said, ‘I promise you that if you come up here and play for me a year or two, I’ll get you a D-1 offer.’ I met a bunch of great guys up there and it sounded like a good deal, so I ended up there.”

Helfet played slot receiver in the spread offense at Santa Rosa. In his two seasons there, he played against some stiff competition.

“Our division is, year-after-year, the best division of juco football in the nation,” he said, pointing out that the Nor-Cal Conference has produced the last two junior college national champions. “You’re out there playing against a defense and seven or eight of the guys are going to a D-1 school.”

In two seasons at Santa Rosa, Helfet caught 68 passes for 1,039 yards. His best day came in the Premiere Bank Bowl, when he had 12 catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-20 victory over Sierra Junior College.

Naturally, the Division 1 offers poured in.

“Duke was actually pretty late,” he said. “I had a pretty good freshman season at the JC and I was talking to a bunch of schools – Arizona State, Iowa State, UCLA a little bit. I ended up having a pretty good season last year – our team wasn’t as good, unfortunately, and that kind of hurt a little bit. Throughout the season, I was talking to Iowa State, Tulane and to Louisville pretty heavily. I was taking a visit to them, then Coach [Kurt] Roper got on the phone and asked me to send them another tape. I really liked the idea of getting a great education. And my Dad was really excited. It was the best of both worlds. So I changed the visit to come here.”

One visit was enough. Helfet found an academic environment to match what he gave up at Johns Hopkins, along with the chance to play big-time football in a wide-open passing offense. He enrolled last winter – in time to participate in spring practice.

A UNIQUE SKILLSET
Helfet combines tight end size and toughness with wide receiver speed and hands.

If there’s a flaw in his game, it’s that he blocks like a wide receiver and not a tight end – at least he did.

“My skill sets are definitely more toward receiver than the blocking part of the tight end,” Helfet admitted last summer. “I’m getting used to it. I’m trying to get in there. I’ve never had to get in a three-point stance before. Coach [Ron] Middleton is a great guy and he’s going to help me a lot.”

Helfet demonstrated against Wake Forest that he’s made a lot of progress in that area.

“There was a block Coach was really excited about on Desmond Scott’s real long run,” he said. “[Scott] cut it backside and I made a pretty critical backside block against the defensive end to give him a lane. I was pretty excited about that. It feels good – working so hard this whole spring and camp to get a good block in there once in a while. I’m getting better every day, but it’s still tough.”

What’s not tough for Helfet is fitting into Cutcliffe’s passing scheme.

“In the passing game, you never have a route where you’re definitely not going to get the ball,” he said. “It makes us play hard because we know we have a great quarterback who can get us the ball. I think I’m pretty confident out there, especially when I’m making plays in the passing game.

“I feel like I have the size and speed and football knowledge to create mismatches against the slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs. I’m pretty confident when the ball’s coming to me and I think I can make plays after the catch as well.”

Helfet is part of the deepest position on the Duke team – whether you consider him a tight end or a wide receiver.

Technically, he’s part of a tight end rotation that includes seniors Brett Huffman, Brandon King and Danny Parker – who have all caught multiple touchdown passes at Duke. At wide receiver, he joins the proven trio of Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon and Austin Kelly (not to mention a bunch of talented younger guys).

In reality, Helfet bridges the gap between the two positions.

“I thought it was going to be a lot tougher [to fit in],” Helfet said. “But now Brandon King and Brett Huffman are two of my best friends. They’re great guys. They’ve taught me everything. They’ve helped me in my blocking game a lot.”

They’ve also helped him adapt to Duke and Durham.

“It’s a little bit of a culture shock,” he said. “Understand, I’m from the West Coast. I’m getting more accustomed to the food and the weather – going through [preseason] camp, I had never seen this humidity. That was terrible. I got IVs a couple of days. Now my body is becoming accustomed, getting more used to the people and the culture.”

He’s found a lot to like in his new home.

“I like their relaxed atmosphere here,” he said. “San Francisco is a little crazy. There’s more of a sense of community here at Duke. Everybody is really friendly. Everybody walks around smiling and I can’t say enough about the guys on this team. I’ve been around a lot of football – you get a bunch of egomaniacs and this and that. Here’s it’s just a bunch of good guys. Everyone’s real friendly. Everyone’s welcoming. Everyone’s helped me get settled in. Especially the other tight ends.”

Now that Helfet is settled in and healthy, Duke fans can only wait to see what he will produce on the field. His touchdown catch and his touchdown-helping block against Wake Forest were just a taste of what Coach Cutcliffe expects from his new playmaker.

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