Jonathon Cooper

Early life

Cooper was born on January 8, 1998, in Gahanna, Ohio. His mother, Jessica Moorman, who was 17 years old at the time, was a high school student with college aspirations who worked a part-time job at an accounting firm. Initially, Moorman felt she was not ready for the responsibility of raising a child and planned to put Cooper up for adoption. However, after Cooper was born nine weeks premature and weighing only 4 pounds, she decided to raise him herself. After spending two months with Cooper in the intensive care unit, she would go on to graduate from high school and earn her college degree.

Cooper began playing football at 6 years old, citing his mother's work ethic as a primary inspiration. Prior to beginning high school at Gahanna-Lincoln, Cooper and his mother created a workout circuit for him in their basement.

During his freshman year, Cooper was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, a rare heart condition that often manifests in an abnormally fast heartbeat.

College career

Cooper played college football at Ohio State University from 2016 to 2020. Over 45 games during his career, he had 75 tackles and 10 sacks. Cooper was the first Ohio State player to ever wear the number 0, which was awarded to him for his leadership qualities.

Legal issues

On June 5, 2026, Cooper and his girlfriend were arrested and held on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief. The arrest occurred after an argument and physical confrontation that began over cheating allegations and included both of their cellphones being damaged. Cooper allegedly bit into his girlfriend's phone, causing disabling damage to it. The same day, Cooper appeared in court and was released on personal recognizance. On June 8, Cooper appeared in court, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. A motions hearing was June 6, 2026. Cooper's jury trial was also scheduled to start on July 22, 2026. On June 11, Cooper was arrested again and charged with two additional counts of domestic violence, one for harassment via repeated phone calls and one for violating a restraining order.