Jonathan Cooley joined the Carolina Panthers in 2023 as the secondary/cornerbacks coach after spending the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where he most recently served as the defensive backs coach after joining the Rams as the defensive assistant/quality control coach in 2020.
In his first season as the defensive backs coach, the Rams tied for seventh in the NFL with 16 interceptions and tied for the 10th-lowest opponent touchdown to interception ratio (1.44). Defensive back Jalen Ramsey tied for 11th in the NFL with four interceptions and second in passes defensed (18), earning his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2022.
As the assistant secondary coach in 2021, Cooley was a part of the Rams' Super Bowl championship with a top-flight defense. The secondary ranked fifth in opponents passer rating (83.8) and third in interceptions (19). They finished second in the NFL with just 17 passing touchdowns allowed.
In 2019, Cooley was selected by the NFL for the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship after spending the 2019 season at the University of Akron, serving as the Zips' defensive backs coach.
Under the guidance of Cooley, Akron ranked second in the Mid- American Conference during the 2019 season, despite having only one returning starter in the secondary entering the season.
Prior to Akron, Cooley coached the secondary and defensive backs at Kent State (2018) and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He was a defensive graduate assistant at Kentucky in 2015-16.
Before Kentucky, Cooley spent two seasons as secondary coach at his alma mater, John Carroll University. He coached safeties at Bluffton University in 2012 and served as the team's equipment manager. Cooley's first coaching job came as a defensive backs coach and assistant special teams coordinator at Millikin University in 2011.
As a player at John Carroll, he was a four-year letter winner and finished in the top 10 in pass breakups for the Blue Streaks.
The Columbus, Ohio native earned his bachelor's degree from John Carroll in 2011 and went on to earn an MBA and a second master's degree in sports leadership at Kentucky.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2011 | Millikin University | Defensive Backs
2012 | Bluffton University | Safeties
2013-14 | John Carroll University | Secondary
2015-16 | University of Kentucky | Defensive Graduate Assistant
2017 | University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | Defensive Backs
2018 | Kent State University | Secondary
2019 | University of Akron | Defensive Backs
2020 | Los Angeles Rams | Defensive Assistant/Quality Control
2021 | Los Angeles Rams | Assistant Secondary
2022 | Los Angeles Rams | Defensive Backs
2023-pres | Carolina Panthers | Secondary/Cornerbacks
