Cooper Heisey was a quarterback in high school and threw for 5,402 yards and 46 touchdowns during his career.
But when he attended Rutgers University, they transformed him into a tight end.
Ever since he transferred to the University of Maine in 2022, the football program has been reaping the benefits of that decision. Heisey has become a valuable contributor as a tight end and he is also the Black Bears’ co-captain.
He caught 22 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns a year ago and he already has three touchdown receptions in three games this season.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Heisey said he likes how the team is progressing as the 3-2 Black Bears take a two-game winning streak into Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at 5-0 Delaware.
“We have to take it day by day and keep getting better every day. We aren’t where we want to be and it takes really hard work every single day to get where we want to be. I love coming out here every single day and getting after it. There’s so much we can be better at,” said Heisey.
Heisey has faced challenges this season, missing two games due to a shoulder injury: the losses to Montana State and Monmouth.
He has six catches for 43 yards so far this fall.
Heisey said making the move from high school quarterback to college tight end is fairly common, pointing out that Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce was a high school quarterback.
He said the two positions are similar in the sense that both need to know the running game, the passing game and pass protection.
“The biggest change is the physical aspect. You go from not having to do anything physically beside taking hits to go and deliver hits,” said Heisey. “It’s great.”
He said the hardest part of the transition early in his career was learning how to block.
“But I have come to like that even better than going out there and running (routes). It was definitely an adjustment but I grew to really love doing it,” said Heisey.
A native of Scotch Plains, N.J., he only appeared in four games at Football Bowl Subdivision school Rutgers before graduating.
He entered the transfer portal and wound up at Football Championship Subdivision UMaine in 2022 only to miss the season due to injury.
FCS schools have 22 fewer scholarships than FBS programs and not as many resources.
He knew about UMaine and the history of the program before he came for a visit and said he was sold on it before he arrived in Orono.
“I knew how people developed here and it’s a gritty place. It feels like it’s just you and the guys on the team. There isn’t a big city, there aren’t distractions. You can get to work. You grow up. You have to turn into a man and be a man here,” he said.
He has impressed UMaine graduate student quarterback Carter Peevy.
“He is our biggest vocal leader,” said Peevy. “Just to have him constantly pushing the offense is great. It takes a lot of pressure off me because I have so much to think about. To have another voice echoing what the message is is great.”
Peevy said Heisey is both a leader and a solid player.
“He does a great job blocking, he has sure hands and he is going to go get some yards after he catches it so he is a really good guy overall to have,” said the quarterback.
Heisey said there was an adjustment he had to make when he came to Maine because he saw such little playing time at Rutgers.
He had to get used to the speed of the game along with the physicality.
“My leadership has taken a big step thanks to Coach (head coach Jordan Stevens), the coaching staff and my teammates and that has helped my confidence on the field,” said Heisey, adding he was “honored” to be named a co-captain along with senior nose tackle John Costanza.
“He has been outstanding,” said Stevens. “We identified early on that he had leadership qualities. He was a veteran player who graduated from Rutgers after playing football for all four years and to have him come here and extend his career as a tight end is pretty special.”
Costanza agreed.
“He is a gritty guy,” said Costanza, who noted that Heisey loves the physicality of blocking and “he loves to catch the ball.”
Heisey, who earned his master’s degree last spring, said Rutgers has a top-notch program across the board and UMaine does as well.
“Coach Stevens’ philosophy and mindset is so similar (to Rutgers). That’s why I love it so much here and why it was an easy transition for me,” he said.
