For one of the most dominating offensive duos in Tarleton Football history, Kayvon Britten and Darius Cooper did not want their Texan journey to end when the program’s name was called on Selection Sunday.
Even after coming out victorious at Memorial Stadium against Drake in the first round of the 2024 FCS Playoffs, Britten and Cooper believe the journey is just beginning.
Leading the offense in 2024, Britten and Cooper have helped the Texans to one of the most historic years in Tarleton Football: 10 wins, the first playoff berth and the first Division I playoff win in program history. In the dynamic duo’s final year at Tarleton, the star running back and star wide receiver look to make even more history in the second round Saturday at No. 4 seed South Dakota.
“Dreams come true,” Cooper said. “When I came in 2020, I remember having a conversation with Dr. Hurley and he was like, ‘We’re going to the playoffs. We’re going to make it to the playoffs that first year.’ And now we’re here in the second round and we’re playing good ball. It’s definitely a blessing. I’m definitely honored to be a part of this university, and the best is yet to come.”
Tarleton State University President Dr. James Hurley met with Cooper during his campus visit, expressing that the wide receiver could do something special as a member of the first Division I recruiting class. After reclassifying to Division I in 2020, Tarleton would have to wait four years before being eligible for the FCS Playoffs.
Dr. Hurley assured Cooper that the Texans would be in the playoffs the moment the Texans were eligible.
Cooper joined the Texans in the fall of 2020 and has been a contributor to the Tarleton offense in each of his five years in Stephenville. With Cooper staying committed to the Texans and playing all five of his college years in the Purple and White, he was able to see Dr. Hurley’s vision came to fruition.
“We were the first Division I recruiting class, so that was very special for the university, and I feel like he was very excited for that as well,” Cooper recalled about his campus visit. “He made sure he was present, he made sure he showed his face and made sure that he met all of us. It was pretty cool.”
Cooper not only blossomed into one of the best wide receivers in Tarleton Football history, but one of the best wideouts in FCS in 2024. The two-time All-Conference player and 2023 All-American set a new program record in career receiving yards.
In addition to being one of the team leaders for Tarleton on the gridiron, he is often representing the university in promotional ads, videos and being a spokesman for the Texans. That made Tarleton State the perfect place to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Kennady Carter.
He asked Dr. Hurley and head coach Todd Whitten if he could pop the question at Pointe du Hoc in 2023 before the home finale Nov. 4 against SFA. With support from Dr. Hurley, Whitten and his Texan teammates, Cooper got down on one knee in front of Texan Nation and proposed to Carter.
The two wed this past summer.
“It was very special. It was a lot of thinking,” Cooper said. “I wanted to make sure that our family was here, but I also wanted to do it with a lot of people to be there. So I talked to Coach Whitten, talked to Dr. Hurley, and I was like, ‘I feel like Pointe du Hoc is the perfect area.’ I talked to Dr. Hurley, talked to Coach Whitten, made sure everything was cool, talked to my teammates, made sure they were cool with it, because I didn’t want to take away from Pointe du Hoc – cause that’s something that we do every home game. I definitely didn’t want to take away from that. Once I got the green light, I was like, ‘Aw, this is perfect,’ and God just lined everything up how it was supposed to be, and that was a very special moment.”
When a coaching change was made at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Britten sought a new football home. His friend and former Arkansas-Pine Bluff teammate Dejuan Miller had just completed his senior year as a wide receiver for the Texans in 2022 and encouraged Britten to come to campus.
Britten trusted his friend and came to Stephenville ahead of the 2023 signing period. Like Miller, the Cincinnati, Ohio, running back was sold on Tarleton after stepping foot on campus.
“I’m definitely grateful [for Dejuan],” Britten said. “He’s the reason I came on my visit. If I had not come on my visit, I don’t know if I would’ve come here. I went on my visit and then the coaching staff and everybody else did the rest.”
Britten’s commitment to the Texans has been life-changing for both the 5-foot-9 running back and Tarleton Football. After an All-American year in 2023, Britten has recorded one of the best seasons in Tarleton Football history this year. He set a new single-season program rushing record with 1,896 yards, surpassing Derrick Ross’ mark that had stood for 20 years (1,560 in 2004). In addition to finishing eighth in the Walter Payton Award voting, Britten could be the first FCS player to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a single season since 2015 (Kade Harrington, Lamar). He needs at least 104 yards on Saturday to reach that milestone.
While Britten’s former Arkansas Pine-Bluff teammate graduated before the 2024 Texans’ FCS playoff run, the senior running back still makes Miller part of Texan Nation with his constant communication.
“He likes to chip in (his thoughts) and calls me to check in to see how things are going,” Britten said. “I like to get his thoughts and point of view on stuff. I feel like (his thoughts) help too. Next year, when I’m gone I can come back and talk to my former teammates, so (his influence) is good.”
Tarleton continues its FCS Playoff run Saturday at South Dakota at 2 p.m., but the Texans don’t want the final stop to take place at the DakotaDome. For Britten, Cooper and the rest of the Texans have sights on their final game being played for a national title 125 miles from campus in Frisco.
“(The playoff run) means a lot for us,” Britten said. “We want to keep going and go all the way to the championship.”
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