Quinton Cooley

Below is the Player Feature Story in the Flames Illustrated game programs for the Campbell game on August 31 (story provided by Fanword.com).

By Quinton Cooley

There's no such thing as a life that's better than yours.

J. Cole's lyrics struck me.

Life gives you a choice.

I could either choose to love my life, or I'd never really live it.

You ain't never gon' be happy 'till you love yours.

So, I embraced it.

It's a little easier to love my life lately.

After battling three injuries back-to-back-to-back, I finally got to play football last fall.

Since it was Coach Jamey Chadwell's first season, we expected an adjustment period, but he set a new standard for our team from day one.

We ended the regular season undefeated and won the conference championship.

I was even fortunate enough to win the CUSA Newcomer of the Year Award.

But, whether I'm in a season of blessing or challenges, I try to not let either define my narrative, though each shapes my perspective.

While I'm grateful to God I'm in a healthy place now, I didn't have a good background as a kid.

I faced child abuse and experienced the separation of my siblings.

I was anxious and hurt.

It was hard to see the world in a good light.

And yet.

My life was still worth living.

When I was eight years old, I moved in with my aunt, near my other siblings, and started to live again.

She helped me begin to heal.

She encouraged me to start playing football.

By middle school, I started to realize I was talented and fell in love with the sport.

I graduated high school a semester early to start college at Wake Forest.

Three months into college - COVID hit.

If a pandemic didn't feel like the end of the world, facing surgery from tearing my labrum in high school did.

I fell into a tough bout of depression.

But I sought help.

I connected with a psychologist and started to see the world through a brighter lens.

Then life got tough again.

Rehab.

Back to football.

Torn meniscus.

Rehab.

Back to football.

Cartilage tear in my other knee.

I was in a dark place.

I needed a fresh start and found one at Liberty.

I ask for strength from the Lord up above.

I also found a fresh start within my faith.

I learned to love God and surrender the big stuff to Him.

Happiness is not circumstantial.

I learned that the hard way.

But each day, I'm grateful God gave me another life and another chance to be here and be here to help others.

Finding My Faith
Transferring to Liberty changed everything in my life.

I went on a visit, and as soon as I stepped on campus, I was like, "Whoa, this is beautiful."

I saw all the glass buildings, the lake, the old-school brick buildings.

This felt special.

I also connected well with the team.

For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by other guys who were followers of Christ.

Studying at Liberty transformed my faith by immersing me in it.

I'd always known about God but never developed a relationship with Him.

Developing a relationship with God gave me someone to surrender my doubts to.

I gave it all to Him.

Once it's in God's hands, it's off my shoulders.

I finally found peace.

Giving Back
God got me here, and now I want to reach out and help the next kid.

It's rare to experience abuse as a child and not fall down the wrong path.

I am fortunate to have worked through that and found the light, and I want to make sure others seize hope too.

Thankfully, being on the team gives me a lot of opportunities to impact my community and hang out with kids.

I love going to schools and reading to kids because they look up to us. They look at us as their superheroes.

I want to show them that just because you go through something bad doesn't mean that you can't change your story.

Whether it's just playing around with them or donating shoes or clothes - it's those little acts of service that help ground me and remind me why I'm here.

I'm also getting my degree in counseling, so I can continue to serve kids long-term.

I want to talk to kids in a different way that will resonate with them because I know what it's like to go through really hard times.

But there's still a little football left in my life.

This season, I'm not focused on the expectations or pressure that comes with being named to watch lists like the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award or the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.

I'm just focused on being a leader for my teammates and serving them in whatever way they need.

It's a privilege to wear the Liberty uniform, and I want to make the most of every opportunity I have to take the field.

I'm eager to see what this season brings, and I'm focused on being a blessing to others in whatever way I can.

Schedule

Quinton Cooley - Finding Liberty and More

Players Mentioned

Quinton Cooley - Finding Liberty and More

Players Mentioned

Quinton Cooley

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