GECU PRESENTS: Jacob Cowing Plays for Son and C-USA First-Team Honors in 2020

UTEP Miners

Jacob Cowing has new added purpose on Saturdays – and hopefully future NFL Sundays.

After leading the Miners' receiving corps in yards and touchdowns in 2019, Cowing said he will draw motivation from his nine-month-old son when he straps on his pads and hauls in touchdown receptions this season. The sophomore wide receiver entered fatherhood following the birth of Chase Henry Cowing on Nov. 16 of last year.

"Being responsible of another human being, it makes me want to drive and be more productive in what I'm trying to do and achieve my goal even more," Cowing said. "Everybody's big goal is to make it to the League to provide for their families. Now that I have a son, that's my main goal: to be able to provide for him and for him not to worry about anything growing up."

Fans can watch Cowing represent and honor his son when he hits parydirt with his new signature touchdown celebration: pointing to his tattooed forearm, inked "Chase", and throwing up a heart sign with both hands.

Cowing said he came up with the idea so Chase can "know that this is for him."

Concurrent with the arrival of his newborn son in mid-November, Cowing also got acquainted with his new starting quarterback this season – redshirt sophomore Gavin Hardison – in the final weeks of the 2019 season. The two connected five times against UAB on Nov. 16, the same day Chase was born, for 85 yards and another five times for 39 yards against Rice on Nov. 30.

Cowing said himself and Hardison have been in constant communication and have developed a strong sense of trust in the offseason.

"We have more trust in the pass game this year, so I think we're going to put up big numbers," Cowing said. "(Hardison) and I talk each and every day. We go over film each and every day – just picking up on each other. … I think that really helps us as an offense and helps our communication and our chemistry."

Cowing racked up 441 of his 550 C-USA freshmen-leading receiving yards in the final six games of the season. Cowing said his success was largely due to finding his rhythm with quarterbacks Kai Locksley and Hardison. With Hardison leading the charge under center this year, Cowing said he anticipates his hot streak to carry over into this Saturday against Stephen F. Austin.

"Gavin Hardison is a great quarterback," Cowing said. "What helped me last year was just getting on the same page as the quarterbacks. … I think that's what kind of sparked our (receiving) group and helped me get to where I was at the end of the season. So, I think this year that's going to help a lot because me and my quarterback are already like that."

Cowing has been putting in work this offseason to improve other facets of his game after breaking the Miners' freshman single-game receiving record with 145 receiving yards against Charlotte on Nov. 9.

"I never settle for anything," Cowing said. "The thing I've been working on the most is getting in-and-out of my cuts (and) reading coverages on the fly. If they go to a certain coverage or they disguise a coverage really well, I've been working on just adjusting to that coverage to get open and make a play."

Despite leading all C-USA freshmen and ranking 13^th nationally among freshmen wide receivers in total receiving yards, Cowing failed to make the 2019 C-USA All-Freshman Team. Cowing said he has his sights set on C-USA First-Team plaudits in 2020.

"For our conference, I'd love to make (the C-USA) First-Team," Cowing said. "Knowing what I did last year, I believe I can do a lot more. I worked hard in the offseason; I worked hard with our receiving group, so I think I have the potential to be first team this year."

While upholding his duties as a first-year father off the gridiron, Cowing will be striving to make another leap in his football career as a second-year player at UTEP.

"I know I set record(s) last year," Cowing said. "But for me, my mindset right now is going bigger and better than that and going at least 200 yards past that."

Print Friendly Version