MEMPHIS — Since his son wasn't home yet, Tino Thomas thought it an opportune time to ask Miami (Fla.) football coach Larry Coker about his intentions for Melrose High School standout senior running back Graig Cooper.

"(Coker) said he wanted to put five to 10 pounds on him so he can come in, learn the playbook and blocking schemes and go through a whole 14-game season (as a freshman)," said Thomas, who spent two hours talking with Coker and Miami associate athletic director Pete Garcia Tuesday before Cooper returned home from the funeral of Christian Brothers linebacker Chris Mosby.

"(Coker) told Graig, 'We're recruiting you as a running back. We don't have to leave the state of Florida for defensive backs. But I'll leave the state of Florida for a running back, a quarterback or a defensive tackle. I'll go around the world to get them.' "

With that, Cooper, who rushed for 2,084 yards and 28 touchdowns for Class 4A state runnerup Melrose this season, committed to the Hurricanes over Louisville, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Tennessee State, Memphis and Vanderbilt.

Rated the No. 32 running back prospect nationally in the Class of 2006, Cooper (6-foot, 195 pounds), Class 4A's Mr. Football Back of the Year, will join former Melrose standout defensive back Carlos Armour at Miami.

"Carlos told me everything's a competition at Miami," said Cooper, who was hosted by Armour during his recruiting visit to Coral Gables, Fla., in December. "He actually said if he was a running back, he wouldn't come to Miami because they're stacked at running back. But at the same time, he told me if you work hard, you don't worry about that. If you want to play, you put in work and you play. (Armour) was just being real."

Cooper, who rushed for a combined 4,065 yards and 44 touchdowns in two seasons at Melrose, said he picked Miami because of its tradition.

"I felt comfortable with the Miami family. It was a lot like Melrose," he said. "They have a good tradition.

"Coker and I didn't do too much talking (on Tuesday) because we've been talking for a (while) now. They're going to give me a chance to put on a little weight and come down there and play as a freshman. They're going to try and get me started a little early."