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University of Minnesota Athletics
Under the Helmet: Theiren Cockran
10/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
They used to laugh at him.
That is one of the main things that Theiren Cockran remembers about his redshirt freshman season. It was 2011 and Cockran arrived on campus with plenty of height, but not a lot of weight. He was tall and lanky at 6-6, but slight and scrawny at only 214 pounds. He certainly did not look like a defensive end.
"I would go eat somewhere in Dinkytown or on campus, and I would be wearing a Minnesota football shirt and people would automatically think that I was a wide receiver because how skinny I was," recalls Cockran.
It was not just members of the general public who thought that the Homestead, Fla., native was a bit too slender to be in the trenches going up against 300-pound offensive linemen week in and week out in the Big Ten.
"Teammates used to laugh too," said Cockran. "When I came and told them that I play defensive end, they used to laugh. It would make me mad, but it was just motivation to get in the weight room and get a little bigger and gain weight.
Cockran relied on the support of some older players - most notably D.L. Wilhite - who had been in the same shoes as him and on the guidance of Minnesota's strength and conditioning team led by Eric Klein.
"I have faith in our coaching staff and know that Coach Claeys likes the longer, leaner, faster defensive end," said Klein. "I remember Theiren coming on his recruiting visit and we talked about what we do in the weight room and what he was going to have to do when he was here. We knew we were going to have some work to do.
"He was going to have to be somebody who dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger so that he could play in the Big Ten. We told him our plan and he said, 'Yes sir, whatever I have to do.' That's the great thing about him, it's always been, 'Yes sir, whatever I have to do.'"
In addition to lifting and gaining muscle in the weight room, Cockran needed to go to work in the kitchen as well. Klein remembers seeing Cockran at a local Dinkytown restaurant eating a big omelet and a tall stack of pancakes. Still, that first year took some getting used to for Cockran.
"It was definitely hard, especially for my freshman year because the redshirts were doing a lot of running," said Cockran. "It's hard to put that weight on when you're running. I would eat something and get on the scale, but then the weight gain would be gone. It was hard to do, but the first year I was able to gain 10-15 pounds and the next year I put on another 10 to 15 pounds and it started to build from there.
"Your body has to adjust to it. When you first put on weight, you might feel a little sore because your body isn't use to it. The first time I realized it was when I played basketball in the off season. I went to dunk the ball, and I could tell I was heavier."
Cockran played in all 13 games in 2012 and has been a starting defensive end for the Gophers since 2013. He began the 2013 season at 238 pounds and ended it being named Second Team All-Big Ten. During the year he recorded 30 tackles, led the team in sacks with 7.5 and was second in tackles-for-loss with 10.
Cockran is now up to 258 pounds and with a wingspan of 6 feet, 9.5 inches is a potential NFL draft pick. He has played in 42 career games and has 66 tackles, 20.5 tackles-for-loss and 12.5 sacks. He has also forced five fumbles in his career and recovered two fumbles.
Klein and his staff take joy in watching one of their charges set a new personal record in the weight room, but there is nothing like watching them perform on a Saturday in the fall.
"Those are the things that make you the most proud," said Klein. "When he comes running off the field after making a big play. You look at him and see how he has changed since he has been here and you know all the hard work that he has put in. There is a spot for him in your heart."
Cockran has gained more than 40 pounds and transformed his body, but both Cockran and Klein think that his frame would allow for him to gain more weight.
"Most definitely," said Cockran, "There's no limit to what I could take."
He no longer looks like a wide receiver - although he says he has great hands - but now resembles a well-respected defensive end in the Big Ten.
Nobody is laughing now.
