Florida A&M Lands Prized Hoops Recruit Camden Cooper

It’s been a little while since the Florida A&M men’s basketball program has experienced success. The Rattlers have finished under .500 every season since the 2006-2007 campaign. That was also the last time the team qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Head coach Charlie Ward finished his first season with the program, leading them to a 15-16 record last year. Ward and the Rattlers hope that the best is yet to come, and now there’s a good reason to believe that brighter days are ahead.

Florida A&M received a commitment from standout high school basketball prospect Camden Cooper at the end of June, which makes him the highest-rated prospect the program has ever had.

2027 Camden Cooper Commits to Florida A&M #PhenomHoops

Read more about his game from what we had to say, as FAMU lands one of its best recruits in program history: https://t.co/YpDQTN0x5Z pic.twitter.com/AG7rCuVH5O

— Patrick O’Brien (@POBScout) June 27, 2026

Cooper hails from Jacksonville, which is not too far from Florida A&M’s campus in Tallahassee.

The decision is even more impressive from a Florida A&M perspective when considering that Cooper also had offers from Florida State and Texas A&M.

“100% committed,” Cooper posted on social media. “I’m very grateful to join the FAMULY and to play under coach Ward, coach Lazarus, and the rest of the staff. Rattler Nation, let’s work!”

The Rattlers will have to wait a little bit before Cooper arrives, as the prized prospect is a rising senior in high school. Cooper was actually set to graduate in 2028, but has reclassified to 2027 to accelerate the clock.

Cooper averaged over 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and just a shade under two steals per game in his junior campaign at Allen D. Nease High School.

#FAMU secures commitment from elite #basketball prospect Camden Cooper
l #FAMUly l #Rattlers l #HBCU l #HBCUs l #HBCUGrad l #FAMUGrad | #SWAC | #RattlerNation | #Tallahassee | #FloridaNews https://t.co/xxyxvl80SP

— Rattler Nation Blog (@RattlerNationFL) June 28, 2026

Reports indicate that Cooper will not be staying with Nease’s basketball program to close out his high school career. Instead, he will be transferring to San Jose Prep, which is also in Jacksonville.

It’ll be interesting to see how coach Ward uses Cooper once he gets to Tallahassee. In his first season with the program, Ward deployed a senior and junior-heavy laden rotation, leaning towards veteran players and experience.

There’s still some time between now and the point when Cooper will arrive on the team, but it’ll be intriguing to monitor whether Ward surrounds Cooper with experienced players on the roster at that time, or if he embraces a high-upside youth movement in order to move the program forward.

It seems like Ward has pivoted towards getting Florida A&M more involved in recruiting high school stars via strategic branding opportunities.

“We want to establish an identity,” Ward said. “And one of the ways is through the high school ranks and to have a team camp. Build those relationships. As high school coaches, we attended many team camps and understand their importance. Those things are very valuable for a team to establish good habits.”

Florida A&M hosted a high school basketball came during the first weekend in June, and Ward knew it was important for him and his staff to set the tone early.

“We want to be good stewards of people’s time and treat them like family, the way we run our program,” Ward said. “And the experience of being on FAMU’s campus.”

Rattlers fans can continue to look forward to the program’s increased branding efforts as well as Cooper’s arrival in the fall of 2027.