Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 205 pounds, Cooper Kupp is one of the best wide receivers in the country and the face of the offense for the Eastern Washington University Eagles.

Kupp comes from a long lineage of football players, extending to his great-uncle, Jeff Kupp, a lettered offensive lineman at none other than EWU from 1982-1984.

Kupp’s grandfather, Jake Kupp, was an offensive lineman for the University of Washington and was later drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1964, followed by Cooper’s father, Craig Kupp, played for the New York Giants, the Phoenix Cardinals, and the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s.

While Kupp family has plenty of experience with football, it took Kupp talent some time to get recognized, and he did not have the easiest time getting to the level he is at now.

Long before Kupp became the face of the EWU football program, Kupp started his football career in his hometown of Yakima, Washington, at Davis High School.

In Kupp’s senior season of high school, he completed 60 receptions for 1059 yards, 18 touchdowns, and set a school record with 22 total touchdowns. Kupp closed out his three-year high school football career with a total of 110 catches for 2100 yards.

Kupp’s accomplishments on the field earned him first team 4A All-State honors as a defensive back and honorable mention accolades as a wide receiver from The Associated Press, which is selected by sportswriters and broadcasters.

The Seattle Times referred Kupp as a “White Chip” selection as one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Washington. Ron Siegel also mentioned Kupp in the “others to watch” in the preseason All-State team.

Despite all the success Kupp had in high school, his journey to stardom for EWU was not an easy one. After Kupp’s final game at Davis, Kupp was still not getting much attention from universities. Eventually, three weeks after Kupp’s final high school game, EWU offered Cooper a scholarship and he accepted it over Idaho State’s offer.

For Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) players, it can be difficult to get recognized around the country since FCS teams rarely play Division 1 teams. In 2015, Kupp’s junior year, Kupp made the most of his opportunity in a game against Oregon where he caught 15 passes for 246 and three touchdowns.

Kupp went on to have a stat-filled junior campaign, nabbing 114 catches for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games for the Eagles. Kupp led the FCS in every receiving category, creating talk among NFL draft experts predicting him to be drafted between the second and fourth round of the draft.

So far at Eastern, Kupp has received the 2015 Walter Payton Award, 2015 STATS National Offensive Player of the Year, 2015 FCS ADA National Offensive Player of the Year, and the 2013 Jerry Rice Award. Kupp is currently a candidate for the 2016 FCS Offensive Player of the Year, 2016 Honors, and 2016 Academic Honors.

With talks of being drafted, Kupp thought about forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL draft. It only took eight days for the Eagles star receiver to make the decision to return to EWU.

“I’m not playing football for profit maximization,” Kupp said during the Big Sky Kickoff media days. “I’m not playing football so I can be set for the rest of my life. Money is not the reason I do this. If that comes with it, that’s great, but I’ve never been one for the excessive lifestyle. If I’m sitting in front of a coach or a general manager, I’m the same guy whether I come out of Eastern or anywhere else. I believe I can make (an NFL) team and I believe I can be a very good player.”

After a very successful junior year, Kupp is looking to make the most of his final season and reflected on his time at EWU.

“First off, just in terms of leaving to go play at another school, that was never in the cards for me,” Kupp said during the Big Sky Kickoff media days. “Coming out of high school, Eastern was the school that believed in me. They’re the ones that gave me the opportunity to come play at this level. They’re the ones that put in the hours to develop me.”

Kupp will challenge WSU’s secondary when the Eagles take on the Cougars Saturday in the season opener.   

Reporting by Ryan Siefkes and Gabriel Bravo