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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. John Gerami
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Home Phone: 337-781-0147 Gerami prepared to sit out a year Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • August 12, 2010 Former St. Thomas More all-state safety Cooper Gerami transferred to UL from Northwestern University after his freshman season for a reason much more important than football. That reason: His 2-month-old son, Greyson. “People always told me growing up that you had to set things in order in your life, and that order has to be God, family, school and then football,” Gerami said. “As you can tell from that list, family comes first based off what I was taught. I thought it was more important to come back and help support my son than to stay at Northwestern.” Gerami, who sat out last season as a redshirt at Northwestern, requested a hardship waiver to play this season for the Ragin’ Cajuns instead of sitting out the mandatory one-year period as per NCAA transfer rules. The NCAA denied the waiver last week, although the 6-foot, 205-pound Gerami can still practice with the team. After sitting out this fall, Gerami will have three years of eligibility left starting with the 2011 season. “I’m just glad that he’s here,” UL coach Rickey Bustle said. “Now we’ll have a chance to evaluate him more. We’re definitely glad to have him.” Gerami is glad to be back in Lafayette — but was initially frustrated with the NCAA’s ruling. “At first, I was really upset,” Gerami said. “It kind of hit me hard. I really would have liked to have been eligible this year and had a shot to play. It didn’t work out that way, and that’s OK. Even though I’m not going to be eligible this year, I can focus my time on other areas.” Having to sit out this season could be a good thing, both for Gerami and for UL. While senior Maurice Rolle is expected to start for the Cajuns at free safety this fall, Gerami can focus on getting comfortable in UL’s defensive scheme for the next few months before spring drills. “There are some perks to not being eligible,” said Gerami, who signed with Northwestern out of high school over Rice, Army and Nicholls State. “Instead of having to worry about game-time situations, I get to worry about learning the system, learning the playbook and learning my job better before stepping on the field.” While it’s still early in preseason camp, UL defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier describes Gerami as a “good kid” who has “showed some flashes” so far of his potential. In the spring, the Cajuns will need for Gerami to compete for a starting job in the secondary. “That’s what the spring is all about,” Fouquier said. “He’s going to have an opportunity to compete to play, and that’s all you want as a player is a chance. The good thing is that he will get to go through camp and learn those calls and get familiar with everything so he just has to polish up some things in the spring.” Gerami wrapped up his prep career with a stellar senior season at STM, finishing with 85 tackles, three fumble recoveries and five pass breakups in 2008. He also blocked seven kicks, returned two of his six interceptions for touchdowns and had 397 yards and one touchdown on 12 kickoff returns. In addition to being the Daily Advertiser All-Acadiana Special Teams Player of the Year, Gerami was named to the Class 5A all-state team and was rated the state’s 73rd-best recruit by Rivals.com. As Gerami adjusts to being part of a new college football program, he is also experiencing the wonders of being a father. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Gerami said. “There’s not much more I can say about it than that. It’s a feeling that you really can’t describe. It’s really unbelievable.” * * * * * * * * * * Gerami denied hardship waiver, must sit out season Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • August 8, 2010 UL football coach Rickey Bustle said the NCAA has denied the hardship waiver requested by safety Cooper Gerami. Without the waiver, the 6-foot, 200-pound Gerami must sit out the 2010 season in accordance to NCAA transfer rules but can still practice with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Gerami, a former St. Thomas More standout, sat out as a freshman during the 2009 season as a redshirt at Northwestern University. He left the program in May citing family issues before enrolling at UL in July. After sitting out this fall, Gerami will have three years of eligibility starting with the 2011 season. “I’m just glad that he’s here,” Bustle said. “Now we’ll have a chance to evaluate him more. We’re definitely glad to have him.” Gerami shined as a prep senior at STM in 2008, finishing with 85 tackles, three fumble recoveries and five pass breakups. He also blocked seven kicks, returned two of his six interceptions for touchdowns and logged 397 yards and one touchdown on 12 kickoff returns. In addition to being the Daily Advertiser All-Acadiana Special Teams Player of the Year, Gerami was named to the Class 5A all-state team and was rated the state’s 73rd-best recruit by Rivals.com. He signed with Northwestern over Rice, Army and Nicholls State. Back in pads “I thought the guys carried their pads well today,” Bustle said. “It was hot out there, and that rain fooled them a little bit before the sun came back out. We got a lot of good work in.” Bustle said he has seen some good things through the first three days of camp but wants to see continued progress going into the second week of workouts. “You look at the film at night and see the mistakes we’re making, but we’re putting a lot of things in at the pace that we feel is correct for our guys,” Bustle said. “The older guys aren’t making as many mistakes as the backups, so we’ve got to bring them up to the other guys.” Extra points
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